Madam Speaker, it is appropriate that, as the first speaker on my party's list, I should begin with a few reminders of the fundamental principles, values and policies that inform the manner in which we look at the various aspects of local government.
The cornerstone of our policies is the Freedom Charter. The vision of local government as expressed in the Freedom Charter is that there shall be houses, security and comfort under which clause, amongst others, the following rights and conditions are called for:
All people shall have the right to live where they choose, be decently housed and to bring up their families in comfort and security;
Slums shall be demolished, and new suburbs built where all have transport, roads, lighting, playing fields, crches and social centres;
Fenced locations and ghettos shall be abolished, and laws which break up families shall be repealed.
Another foundation of our system of governance is the Reconstruction and Development Programme, the RDP. In the RDP, we envisaged local government that will be guided by the following principles: a people-centred approach; developing human resources; building the economy; democratising the state and society; being people-driven; being people-centred; innovative in the ways in which it combines growth and development; and committed to continuously achieving overall coherence, and unity of purpose.
When we started 11 years ago, we set the following goals for local government. To ensure the end of apartheid local government, about 800 municipalities would need to be linked together and create 300 new democratic nonracial local authorities. Informal settlements as well as those hidden behind Bantustan boundaries must be included when drawing up local boundaries. Rural areas and traditional authorities should also have elected local authorities. Rich consumers should be able to subsidise the poor so that they can have access to services.
Local government in South Africa has undergone a major process of transformation that has resulted in our new system of local government. The most significant achievement in the area of governance since 1994 has been the dismantling of the apartheid state and establishment of a nonracial democratic unitary state.
This fundamental transformation saw a shift from over 1 200 racially based local authorities, four provincial administrations and 10 Bantustans into 284 democratically elected municipalities, nine provinces and a strong national government.
This process demanded a democratic and developmental local government that puts responsibility and accountability on officials, councillors and front- line workers and good relations with the citizens of the municipality. Capacity-building therefore became one of the important tools available to local government in bridging the gaps in what would be expected of us and what we could now deliver.
It can be said that as we enter into our second decade of freedom, our evolving system of integrated governance is increasingly making it possible for the country's development objectives to be met. This process we are talking about also resulted in the establishment of a progressive policy and institutional framework and a regulatory environment conducive to developmental local government.
As provided in our Constitution, local government has become responsible for a growing number of services that were previously managed by central government. This has left municipalities with many needs for new skills to meet new performance demands, yet many municipalities do not have the managerial, administrative, financial and institutional capacity to meet the rising expectations of local communities.
Thus a way had to be found to transform this delivery arm of government into a truly service delivery model to meet the development needs of the communities and ensure stability, predictability, and efficiency.
The progress made towards achieving a legal and financial framework necessary to consolidate the system of local government for accelerated service delivery must be viewed from the lenses of the following pieces of legislation: the Local Government: Municipal Systems Act of 2000, the Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act of 2003, and the Local Government: Municipal Property Rates Act of 2004.
The Local Government: Municipal Systems Act has built up a momentum for municipal reform, and created incentives for improved performance that would eventually increase confidence and the possibilities of positive change. The MFMA and MSA therefore strengthened institutional capabilities by fostering transparent decision-making and citizens' participation in the political and municipal processes.
They also call for a need to have strong local partners that are critical to the sustained improvement of municipal management which in turn would lead to the strengthening of initiatives like local economic development. The capacity of local government in financing and administering local economic development initiatives is a critically important consideration when attempting to eradicate poverty and create employment.
The transfer of redeployable skills is limited, causing the assistance provided to be largely temporary. Therefore, we must make more effort to enhance the skills development initiatives that are aimed at upgrading skills and competencies which is a critical ingredient for sustainable economic growth. The Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act has assisted with better co- ordination and integration among three spheres of government so that we are more effective in reaching targeted groups. We have now seen many programmes that are directly aimed at building capacity within the local municipalities, namely the Municipal Service Partnerships. The MSP is based on the implicit recognition that the capacity and skills in local government differ. Consequently, municipalities are assisted in the identification of potential service delivery partnerships as well as in the development of technically sound contractual arrangements.
The Municipal Infrastructure Investment Unit also offers support and guidance to municipalities in the area of structuring the public-private partnerships. The new local government capacity-building system will also bring a shift in the way that municipalities work as part of the move towards developmental local government.
In the context of overall transformation of local government, the new skills development strategy has laid a basis for a more people-orientated local government system, able to meet the demands of our people for democracy, reconstruction and development. Moreover, the MSA sets out the principles and values of the administration and a code of conduct, Batho Pele, in the local government sphere.
For a new system of local government to be implemented effectively, there will have to be much greater co-operation between the three spheres of government in the spirit of co-operative governance. In this regard, we are very optimistic that the newly elected councillors will assist in the realisation of this objective.
In our election manifesto for the local government elections that took place on 1 March this year, we as the ANC said the following:
Although much still needs to be done, and although change has come faster to some areas than others, many communities around the country have seen positive change in the last five years. Roads have been tarred and streets lit for the first time. Water and electricity have become more accessible than ever before. More houses have been built. Local services like waste removal have improved. Free basic services have been provided to many. Sporting and recreation facilities have been built. Local government offices have become more effective in meeting the needs of the citizens.
While we are pleased with these achievements, we have also taken action to learn from our experiences of the past five years.
It is my submission that, as the ANC, we have successfully led the government and people of South Africa in transforming local government for the greater benefit of all our people through the many policies and legislative, fiscal and other resource allocation measures we implemented. We can boldly say that we have been faithful to the vision of our forebears as captured in the Freedom Charter and the Constitution of the Republic; the will of the people.
Many challenges remain, but we cannot come to any other conclusion than that our achievement and progress in the sphere of local government is a cause for celebration. I thank you. [Applause.]