House Chairperson, we would like to thank the Minister and his department for responding positively in our interaction with them as the portfolio committee.
This is part of the work we do: to assess and check the implementation of legislation that we pass. And as soon as we pick up problems with the effective implementation of legislation, we raise them with the department and the Minister. As a result, we have this Bill to close the gap that was emerging because of the incapacity of these municipalities, for a variety of reasons, to implement the legislation.
What is important, however, is that if the majority of municipalities have done so, we often call that a relative success. It is the majority. If only 13 or so, even less than 20 municipalities haven't complied, that's still relatively good - but, of course, we would prefer 100% implementation.
In extending this Bill, government and Parliament are not doing so with a blank cheque. We insist that work must be done to build capacity for them to be able to implement this Bill and, of course, other pieces of legislation. We concede that this is a manifestation of some of the problems in those areas and, in fact, we have been talking to the department about this, and part of the turnaround strategy will speak to those issues.
We have also agreed to amend this Bill this way, with the understanding that the totality of the legislation itself has raised a number of problems in its implementation. Residents and municipalities have raised issues with it, and so there is a case to be made for a later, more robust and vigorous interaction with the results of this issue. So, it will come back to Parliament for broader debate and discussion.
The issues that some of the members have raised are valid, especially the positive reasons given by the hon Dudley about why it is important to allow this amendment and what it is that municipalities must be able to continue to do in the interests of service delivery in the areas in which they have jurisdiction. That is a very useful point to make.
As to what the ANC expects, we have made it very clear that the purpose for which we are doing this is to build these municipalities' capacity to be able to carry out their functions, working with them in a collaborative manner, co-operatively, to produce the results that the residents themselves will see and appreciate.
With these words, I would like to say that the ANC fully supports this Bill and we are convinced that subsequent and further discussions will improve the capacity for the implementation of legislation across all municipalities in future. Thank you very much. [Applause.]