Many municipalities are failing their residents. A group of civil society organisations that work in local government raises six issues that have the potential to destroy effective governance and cause immense damage to communities.
Our local government system is remarkable and a testimony to South Africa's extraordinary resilience and progressive policies. Before 1994, municipalities were fragmented, racist, and subservient to their apartheid masters in other levels of government.
However, many municipalities are failing their residents. There is no need to rehash the statistics, anecdotes and case studies of municipal failure that South Africans are bombarded with on a daily basis. There is also no need to deny this reality by lifting up examples of well-run municipalities. We all know that the problem is massive and that it affects most, but not all, municipalities.We represent a group of civil society organisations that work in local government.
Please, please do not take these appeals lightly. Each issue we raise has the potential to destroy effective governance and cause immense damage to communities. First, we implore you to improve the way you recruit candidates for party lists, ward elections and office-bearers. Because, while we encounter many excellent councillors in our work, we also encounter many who have neither the competence nor the integrity to fulfil their tasks.
Third, respect the outcome of elections. Peaceful transitions of power are a hallmark of mature democracies. As South Africans, we perfected this in a remarkably short time-span, and there are Western democracies that should learn from us. However, respecting the outcome of an election also means that, if the electorate did not provide you with a mandate to govern, you should not insist on governing.Critical opposition is as essential to the success of a municipality as governing.
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