Hon Deputy Speaker, Cope welcomes the process outlined by the Minister towards a streamlined institutional arrangement, which seeks to improve service delivery at both provincial and local spheres of government.
However, Cope believes that the success of this process will depend on the respect given to the constitutional autonomy of each sphere of government. In pursuing the consultative process, the government will have to adhere to the principles of separation of powers between government and political party and between the ruling party and organs of civil society.
Cope is already worried about the trend that is beginning to emerge in the country where officials of the party go around the country replacing municipal officials, mayors and councillors. We are not sure what the role of the Minister is and what the role of the party is.
Co-operative governance, as has already been said, is the cornerstone of our Constitution and the success of our delivery processes. It is therefore necessary to respect and encourage the fact that each sphere plays a role that it is mandated to carry out by the Constitution, without interference from party structures. But it also needs to be empowered to carry out these roles, and it would be a pity if in each sphere of government when there is a different party in power, that the national government would seek to interfere with the running of the affairs of that particular sphere of government. [Applause.]
We hope that the proposed amendments to the Constitution are not seeking to undermine the democracy that is enshrined in our Constitution. Thank you. [Applause.]