Local Government Summit: ANC addresses fraud and poor service delivery

The African National Congress (ANC) is hosting a Local Government Summit in Boksburg, Ekurhuleni to address pressing situations of fraud, poor service delivery and failing municipalities.

Struggling municipalities are strained by corruption and fraud

The summit engaged with stakeholders across the sector under the theme; “Growing Local Government Together”, it is also expected to come up with sustainable solutions, to help the struggling municipalities in Gauteng.

The ANC mentioned that poor service delivery, fraud, corruption and poor financial management were tormenting the struggling municipalities.

ANC: “Where there is corruption we must crack the whip”

The Provincial Chairperson, David Makhura, delivered the opening address to the Local Government Summit. Makhura announced to his comrades, that where there is corruption “we must crack the whip”. He further reiterated that poor performance must be punished.

“ANC leaders when you are in charge of the municipality, and something goes wrong, you need to be able to demonstrate what is it that you have done to prevent the wrong. The country is moving to a district-based model of delivery, which will require co-operation among all Gauteng municipalities.”

David Makhura, ANC Provincial Chairperson

Spaza shops are set to receive a helping hand

The failing township economy also came up in discussions during the summit. The commission on local economic development is looking at ways to fast-track the performance of township economy.

“Giving life to the five corridors of development and using Infrastructure development to effect radical economic transformation.”

David Makhura, ANC Provincial Chairperson

Recently, the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Fikile Majola, pleaded with the government to look into establishing markets, for small business operators to trade their goods and products in townships, in rapid aims to revive the failing economy. 

The task-team on service delivery and urban planning is looking into improving the capacity of municipalities to provide basic services, as the municipalities are currently under severe strain.

ANC: Service delivery was on the agenda

It is reported that Tshwane tops the list in the wasteful expenditure in the municipalities. According to SABC; the Gauteng Province MEC for Human Settlements Lebogang Maile stated that nine of the 11 municipalities are moving towards a “dysfunctional level”.

“There’s a lot of issues relating to supply chain processes not being followed. There’s wasteful, fruitless expenditure, unauthorized expenditure, irregular expenditure. And the number of those transactions have increased drastically, which is a cause of concern for us, hence we wrote to the municipality and asked them to give a plan on how to deal with the issue and we will also support them.”

Gauteng Province MEC for Human Settlements , Lebogang Maile