As political parties ramp up campaigns for the upcoming local government elections, President Cyril Ramaphosa has warned that the collapse of basic services is directly threatening South Africa’s economy and scaring off potential investors.
With the election date now announced, parties are intensifying their efforts to win votes. However, for some already in government, chronic poor service delivery may undermine their campaigns.
President Ramaphosa issued a stark warning on the state of local governance.
“The collapse of local government now poses a direct threat to the country’s overall economy,” Ramaphosa said. “The municipality, therefore, is the heartbeat of the livelihood of our people and it is the heartbeat of the economy of our country.”
Ramaphosa stressed that to attract investors, municipalities must be made functional. “No investor will invest in a town that is not functional. They will not come and invest in a town that does not have water, that does not have proper roads internally in the town that has potholes.”
While the upcoming elections empower communities to determine who represents them in their wards and municipalities, residents’ understanding of local government’s role remains mixed. Grievances from various communities across the country are well documented, and residents are clear on the traits required to serve in local government.
One economist pointed to political instability as a key impediment to good governance in municipalities.
“The municipal arena or sphere of governance is absolutely fundamental for the growth of our economy,” the economist said. “How do we manage it? We’ve got to deal with it very differently all across the political spectrum. The overpoliticization – changing one faction, replacing it with another faction, one coalition with another coalition – is the betrayal of the citizens and the residents’ trust in governance.”
There appears to be a wide consensus that local government needs a reset.
“Most of local government legislation was founded by the white paper on local government, but it made certain proclamations and assumptions that certain things would work in local government – but this hasn’t worked,” a political analyst explained. “My greatest concern is that if we continue on the path that we are in, I’m afraid that there are some municipalities that are going to totally collapse.”
With just six months before the local government elections, proposed reforms may come too late. Residents will ultimately have to determine who they believe will best serve them.