When local government fails to perform, the story is not about service delivery that fails, but the creation of jobs and economic growth for the communities also fails to materialise nationwide, President Cyril Ramaphosa has said.
The president said this when he addressed delegates to the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) Council of Mayors Conference held at the East London International Convention Centre on Thursday.
“Failing local government is not about our people’s expectations not being met. The failure of local government has a direct and material impact on economic growth and jobs,” Ramaphosa said.
“We cannot realise a South Africa of common prosperity, where the life of every person is improved, without a strong economy,” he said.
He added that “when roads are poorly maintained, people cannot get to work, and produce and other goods cannot get to markets.”
When important social infrastructure “is not maintained, children cannot get to school, people cannot access health care, and homes are often without water or electricity,” he said.
“As national and provincial governments, we are challenged to look at how we use the constitutional and legislative instruments at our disposal to make local government work better to address these challenges and to work for the people,” the president said.
And accountability and transparency in local government council leadership were of the utmost importance. “This requires leadership to create opportunities to account to the community,” he said.
“Increased accountability ensures that actions of the council reflect aspirations of the community, increases legitimacy of the council, and deepens local democracy,” he said.
NM/as/APA