Madam Deputy Speaker, I want to start off by again commending National Treasury and the Portfolio Committee on Finance for the open, frank, objective and transparent way this Bill and the various submissions thereto have been approached. National Treasury was consistently empathetic and susceptible to the constructive and credible input from various sources.
Tans is daar verskeie munisipaliteite wat swak presteer en bestuur word hoofsaaklik omdat die kapasiteit of die vermo nie bestaan by baie raadslede en amptenare nie: Eerstens, is dit om die langtermyngevolge van hulle finansile besluite te kan skei van korttermyn politieke voordele.
Tweedens, is dit die motivering by die aanstelling van amptenare, veral in spesialiteits- en seniorposisies, te skei van subjektiewe oorwegings. Derdens, is dit om die makro-ekonomiese impak en die gevolge van hulle finansile besluite te begryp en te interpreteer.
In die praktyk gebeur dit dat munisipaliteite soms onbillike en onbekostigbare bobelastings en heffings, bo en behalwe die redelike winste uit belasting- en diensteheffings, instel. Hierdie ho bobelastings en heffings plaas nie net druk op die makro-inflasie verwagtinge nie, maar kan ook 'n spesifieke gemeenskap verarm tot die mate waar dienste onbekostigbaar raak met gevolg dat slegte skulde kan vermeerder.
Dienslewering deur munisipaliteite raak die meerderheid van ons bevolking direk deur die kwaliteit daarvan en die waarde vir geld dienste wat daagliks aan hulle gelewer word. Ons het 'n verantwoordelikheid en 'n verpligting om te verseker dat volhoubare dienslewering geoptimaliseer word op munisipale vlak. Dit is immers waar die lewenskwaliteit van die meerderheid mense geraak word en waar die basis vir die volhoubare bou van ons demokrasie gesetel is.
Daar kan dus ongetwyfeld baie regverdiging gevind word vir die doelwitte van die voorgestelde wetgewing en die magte wat dit aan die Minister sal gee om onder andere te verseker dat die makro-ekonomiese beginsels en doelwitte, selfs tot op die derde vlak van regering, nagestreef en bevorder word. Dit is so dat artikel 229 van die Grondwet bepaal dat die Parlement die bevoegdheid het om regulasies en wetgewing te kan instel om te verseker dat munisipale fiskale magte en bevoegdhede behoorlik en verantwoordelik nagekom word. Dit is egter belangrik dat die oorsigrol van die Parlement hierin behoorlik nagekom moet word.
In die prakyk word daar ervaar dat konflik ontstaan tussen B en C munisipaliteite oor die magte en funksies wat hulle enersyds tans uitoefen, en andersyds oor die magte en bevoegdhede wat hulle aanvoer hulle addisioneel kan en behoort uit te oefen. Hoewel die voorgestelde wetgewing soortgelyke magte en bevoegdhede van twee of meer munisipaliteite binne dieselfde gebied rel, kan dit egter 'n bron van verdere konflik tussen B en C munisipaliteite wees met moontlike onstabiliteit in dienslewering.
Minister, daar is egter ook bekommernisse wat voorspruit uit hierdie voorgestelde wetgewing waarvan nou reeds kennis geneem moet word en wat deurlopend bestuur moet word juis om te verseker dat die oorwo doelstellings deurlopend nie nadelig geraak sal word nie. Die interpretasie van die Grondwet is dat die drie sfere van regering onafhanklik van mekaar is en dat munisipaliteite met hulle behoorlik verkose politieke leiers die magte en bevoegdhede het om self te bepaal watter belastings, heffings en tariewe ingestel behoort te word.
Hoewel artikel 229 van die Grondwet wel bepaal dat addisionele bobelastings en heffings ingestel kan word net wanneer nasionale wetgewing en regulasies dit magtig, kan hierdie voorgestelde wetgewing genterpreteer word dat dit inbreuk maak op hierdie geagte grondwetlike magte en bevoegdhede. Dit sal belangrik wees om te verseker dat ook die tyd wat die Minister sal benut in gebruik om die voorgestelde bobelasting en heffings te oorweeg so kort as moontlik sal wees, juis om te verseker dat dienslewering nie nadelig hierdeur geraak word nie.
Minister, niemand wil sien dat hierdie voorgestelde wetgewing beperkend op en as `n straf vir die suksesvolle en volhoubare munisipaliteite dien wat wel effektief en doelmatig bestuur word nie, ongeag die tipe en die vlak van munisipaliteit. Ons moet bedag wees hierop. Tekortkominge en probleme met spesifieke munisipaliteite moet eerder konstruktief en gefokus aangespreek word. Hierdie probleme en tekortkominge kan gedentifiseer word via die jaarlikse ouditverslae wat inkom, verslae van die provinsiale departemente van plaaslike regering, asook ander belangegroepe en deelnemende politieke partye.
Dan ook, die laaste ding net, ek dink dit is noodsaaklik dat daar volhoubare kapasiteit en kundigheid van munisipale raadslede en amptenare opgebou en deurlopend verbeter word. Ek dank u. [Applous.] (Translation of Afrikaans paragraphs follows.)
[Currently there are several municipalities that are managed poorly and hence performing poorly, mainly because many councillors and officials do not have the capacity or the capability: Firstly, to separate the long term consequences of their financial decisions from short term political benefits.
Secondly it is to separate the motivation for the appointment of officials from subjective considerations, especially with specialist and senior positions.
Thirdly, it is to understand and interpret the macro economic impact and the consequences of their financial decisions.
In practice it happens that municipalities sometimes institute unreasonable and nonaffordable surcharges and levies, over and above the reasonable profits from tax and service levies. These high surcharges and levies do not only place pressure on the macroinflation expectancies, but can also impoverish a certain community to the extent where services become unaffordable, with the result that bad debt can increase.
Service delivery by municipalities affects the majority of our population directly through the quality thereof and the value for money services that are delivered to them daily. We have a responsibility and an obligation to ensure that sustainable service delivery is optimised at municipal level. It is, indeed where the quality of life of most of the people is influenced and where the base for the sustainable building of its democracy resides.
Undoubtedly justifications can be found for the objectives of the proposed legislation and the powers that it will give to the Minister, to, among others, ensure that there is a strive towards and the promotion of the macro economical principles and objectives, even up to the third level of government. It is so that section 229 of the Constitution stipulates that Parliament has the competency to institute regulations and legislation to ensure that municipal fiscal powers and competencies are properly and responsibly adhered to. It is however, important that the oversight role of Parliament is complied to herein.
In practice it is experienced that conflict develops between B and C municipalities, on the one hand about the powers and functions that they exercise, and on the other hand the powers and competencies that they argue they must have and should exercise additionally. Although the proposed legislation arranges similar powers and competencies of two or more municipalities within the same area, it can however be a source of further conflict between B and C municipalities with possible instability in service delivery.
Minister, there are, however, also concerns that originate from this proposed legislation that should be noted, and which should be managed continuously, to ensure that the considered objectives are not continuously affected negatively. The interpretation of the Constitution is that the three spheres of government are independent from each other, and those municipalities with their properly elected political leaders have the powers and competencies to determine themselves which taxes, levies and tariffs should be instituted.
Although section 229 of the Constitution provides that additional surcharges and levies can be instituted only when national legislation and regulation has authorised it, this proposed legislation can be interpreted so that it infringes on these respected constitutional powers and competencies. It will be important to ensure that the period that the Minister will use to consider the proposed surcharges and levies should be as short as possible too, to ensure that service delivery is not affected negatively by this.
Minister, nobody wants to see this proposed legislation as restrictive on and as punishment for successful and sustainable municipalities that are indeed managed effectively and efficiently, irrespective of the type and the level of the municipality. We must be mindful of this. Shortcomings and problems with specific municipalities should however be focussed and constructively addressed. These problems and shortcomings can be identified via the annual audit reports that come in, reports from the provincial departments of local government, as well as other interest groups and participating political parties.
Then as well, only the last thing, I think it is necessary that the sustainable capacity and expertise of municipal councillors and officials be built up and continuously be improved. I thank you. [Applause.]