By Buffalo City Reporter
5 October 2004

AS the third national South African Local Government Association (Salga) conference drew to a close, various leaders called on representatives of the 248 municipalities to remain motivated and renew their enthusiasm for managing their municipalities.

The four-day discussions took place in Cape Town from 26 to 30 September and highlighted the problems facing local government structures, the way forward and their progress since Salga - the body representing all municipalities across South Africa - was formed six years ago.

In his address, outgoing chairperson Father Smangaliso Mkhatshwa outlined the significance of the conference as "a time for deep reflection. It demands that, as we move forward, we also look back for lessons to learn. It compels us to review goals set against achievements attained and lapses experienced. More than anything else, however, it is time for rebirth, regeneration and rededication".

He drove home the point that local government is most visible because it deals more directly with citizens than the other sphere of government. "It is at this level that people literally experience democracy. It is at this level that people meet government face to face. It is on this level therefore that we have to invest our energies and resources both as local government and as government abroad. "

Representatives were reminded that the system current government inherited from the apartheid government made their task more difficult. "We inherited a corrupt system. If it is considered that in real terms we had to begin by addressing apartheid induced backlogs, then the magnitude of our delivery on our core mandate becomes impressive, whichever way it is looked at."

While Mkhatshwa maintained that the public was generally satisfied with local government's service delivery record, he didn't sugarcoat the fact that many citizens are concerned about billing systems and customer relations.

President Thabo Mbeki's address highlighted the key problem areas facing this sphere of government. He noted that there should be a focus on implementing service delivery plans that respond timeously to the needs of local communities.

He said that apart from a few exceptions, the "apartheid landscape remains unchanged" and that there was an urgent need to address this by all spheres of government. "New housing developments are generally located on the outskirts of towns and cities. We have not created opportunities to integrate previously divided communities."

Addressing the issue of the lack of finances and resources, Mbeki said municipalities should make special use of the resources at their disposal. He said this would involve municipalities "maximising their revenue base, collecting revenue that is due and ensuring that spending is efficient and focused on the delivery of basic services."

Salga secretary general, Obed Mlaba, said that a councillor in the second decade of freedom and democracy is faced with even greater challenges than a councillor of the previous decade. "The struggle for councillor welfare must continue, for councillors whose morale is low are going to be a liability rather than asset to Salga and municipalities."

He added that whilst the first decade of democratic local government was about such tangibles as water and housing, the next decade presents the challenges of efficiency and effectiveness.