Madam Chairperson, in the South Africa Yearbook of 2002-03 the relationship between national, provincial and local government is described as "distinctive, interdependent and interrelated". This means that one cannot function without the other, but at the same time, functions relating to each of the spheres of government overlap. For many years there has been talk around the powers and functions, but somehow they don't come to light, creating major frustrations for districts and municipalities.
The heartbeat of this National Assembly is local government, and this we cannot deny or ignore. While this Assembly legislates, the implementation has to be carried out at a local level. This in itself, hon Minister, creates major challenges for most of our municipalities, especially those which are not financially viable and lack the capacity and competent staff to carry out these directives and initiatives.
The census figures of 2001 that are used for the grading of municipalities have not accounted for 17% of our population, meaning that the grading decisions have not been correctly informed. Furthermore, the huge influx of job seekers and foreign nationals, especially into Gauteng and the Western Cape, has not been taken into consideration. The outdated grading system that is reminiscent of the apartheid era needs to be reviewed and brought in line with democratic structures.
Remuneration offered to public servants in local government should reflect their value and contribution. The current salary structure is one that is unlikely to attract the right candidates for the right jobs, creating a further void in administration and the ability to deliver services. We are all aware of the criticism towards public servants and their lack of commitment. Most of it may be true, but we lose many good employees who are not looked after due to these discrepancies.
Service delivery is a commitment to our electorate by all political parties, and we need to take this very seriously. Our citizens deserve better. They deserve to live in dignity, and they need to have access to clean water, electricity and a house that they can call a home. The present standards of delivery are unacceptable, Mr Minister, and they need to be reviewed, and developers must be held accountable.
Government did well with its target dates and policies. However, the implementation remains a challenge in some areas and nonexistent in others. Whatever we as a National Assembly legislate or whatever expectations we create have to be carried out at a local level. This, without the necessary funding, makes implementation impossible. Unfunded mandates can never become a reality; they result in boycotts; and demonstrations instead.
Long and tedious procurement processes delay progress. While we as the DA support the Municipal Finance Management Act and the procurement processes, we do feel that we need to streamline some of the processes in order to facilitate fast and efficient delivery. Many a time it is found that by the time the process is complied with and concluded, the material prices have escalated to such an extent that the emerging contractors can no longer comply. Surely this was not the intention of the Act. This has serious implications for service delivery as the process has to start all over again. This is where residents become impatient and councillors bear the brunt of it, and risk their houses and belongings being burnt and damaged. Very seldom is this anger taken out on officials or provincial and national legislators who have brought this Act into being. A lot of the shortcomings you have alluded to yourself, Minister.
District municipalities are meant to provide capacity to local municipalities, but the reality is that many of them fail the exact structures that they should be supporting. The salary budget, for instance, of the Sedibeng District Municipality borders on 80% of their total budget, and despite the enormous investment in staff, the much-needed expertise to assist the local municipalities ...