Pledges without action will not improve service delivery

South Africans are set to cast their ballots in the local government elections about a year from now. Many vote out of loyalty to a party, while some do so with the genuine hope that it will bring about change. However, the voices of the disillusioned have grown louder and service delivery protests have become a normal part of life in SA. 

Mismanagement and a lack of oversight and accountability have brought many a municipality in the Eastern Cape to the brink of collapse. One need only look at the auditor-general reports to get an idea of the scale of the problem. Recently, the Stutterheim-based Amahlathi municipality was classified as one of the worst councils in the country according to the Municipal Financial Sustainability Index by Ratings Afrika.

The rating was based on, among others, financial stability, debt governance and deteriorating infrastructure. Amahlathi's dismal performance comes as no surprise, particularly not to the residents and businesses in Stutterheim who have seen basic services fall by the wayside. The once pristine town has fallen into ruin. 

In an interview published this week, the municipality's current CFO and two former senior officials revealed how Amahlathi came to earn the dubious title of worst-performing municipality. A bloated salary bill, which soared by more than 200%, and municipal debt that has largely been ignored were two of the biggest factors. Business has stepped in to help, but there is only so much they can do. 

Amahlathi is just one of the municipalities in the province in need of urgent intervention. Cogta, in response to a news article last month, said it would convene a special MuniMEC where mayors and city managers from poorly performing municipalities would sign a pledge committing to improve their financials and overall performance. 

If the municipal elections go ahead next year, it is likely the country will again see a flare up in service delivery protests in communities. Citizens are tired of the empty promises.   

The pledges by the municipal leaders will not be worth the paper it is written on if there are no systems put in place to turnaround the fortunes of these failing municipalities and there are no consequences for the leaders who continue to fail in their obligations towards the people in their constituencies.