Chairperson, it should be noted that the focus of the diagnostic assessment review by the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency, Misa, at the pilot stage was comprehensive and did not only focus on the state of municipal infrastructure. It covered the following areas: governance and intergovernmental relations; municipal operations and administration; planning, infrastructure and service delivery; financial management, sustainability and viability; development and economy.
All in all, Misa concluded the diagnostic assessment review of 88 municipalities during that phase of the development of the government component. The report is readily available and will be made available to hon delegates. As Misa has officially been proclaimed a government component, the priority focus now is to publish a municipal infrastructure book, outlining the state of infrastructure, so as to lay out competency and maintenance profiles in the areas of infrastructure that has to do with electricity supply, water, roads, housing and refuse removal. This is meant to be released in November. It is meant to guide the department's efforts to strengthen the hand of municipalities through infrastructure development and maintenance.
Hon Zulu, is there a follow-up question? [Inaudible.] None? Is there a follow-up question from any other member? Hon Van Lingen, use another microphone. The wrong microphones are being switched on.
Chairperson, can I ask the Minister whether the competency report of the municipalities is going to be more or less the same as the one done by the Municipal Demarcation Board, or is it a different one? Can the Minister just inform us?
They are definitely not the same. The competency report, in as far as Misa's assessment is concerned - the one that I said will be released in November - will be talking about the infrastructure profile. It will say what infrastructure has been installed in a particular area and calibrated to operate in a particular arrangement, and if the capacity of this infrastructure to develop is challenged at a given moment in a particular area.
It will not be the same as the Municipal Demarcation Board's released competency report, because that report refers to a number of issues that relate to municipal viability - having to respond to questions of delivery, informed by the socioeconomic and other factors that are considered for demarcation processes, such as mobility.
So, there will be a difference. This one is meant to say: In respect of the network that you have, what interventions does it need to respond to what is expected? What is the maintenance profile of this infrastructure? That is what the report is going to entail. It will focus narrowly on infrastructure.
Minister, firstly, let me thank the units in the department, or Misa, or the other technical team that assists municipalities. They usually accompany us when we go on oversight visits to municipalities. Thank you very much for those units.
My question concerns those municipalities that do not have capacity and are really not viable, but we are assisting them. For how long are you going to support those municipalities? When will they be able to stand on their own two feet?
When we assist municipalities that do not have capacity, we also do an assessment to check whether this is inherent to the environment in which they are operating, or whether it is simply a factor of failure on their part.
If the reason for needing to assist them is certain inherent features, some of which result from demarcation, we then have to see what it is that we can do - if it is in the area of being nonviable - to assist them in best developing the economic potential of that area, so that they become self- sustaining and so that this support does not last forever.
When it is due to failure on their part, we definitely go in and assist. We provide timelines for them to live up to what is expected of them and to pull their weight. If they can't pull their weight, then we obviously have to make sure, because municipalities themselves are not branches or extensions of government departments. They represent a sphere. If they can't live up to what is expected of them, that is when one begins to look at what the Constitution says, either in terms of section 154 or, if the situation does not improve, one may even consider section 139.
So, it can't be forever. It can't be that one creates a sphere of government and then other spheres continue to support those spheres. That is not right and it cannot go on forever.
Hon Minister, with regard to the diagnostic report for municipalities, is this report structured on any norms and standards for municipalities? If so, how will those municipalities be supported to get that infrastructure in their areas on the ground?
With regard to the report that has been a product of the pilot activities, which were meant to assess generally what the situation looked like; the report that is going to be provided and, as I said, needed to look at the profile of municipal infrastructure in municipalities, the norm is that you should not have municipal infrastructure that just sits there, like decorations. You want municipal infrastructure that will be there to deliver.
So, in terms of the norms and standards, how far do you go? Get this municipal infrastructure to the point where it is ready and becomes a tool for effective service delivery. That is the norm. So, when you assist, you say: This is as far as I will go.
Chairperson, this would be the fourth question. May I continue, please? [Interjections.] In terms of human resources capacity in municipalities - there is obviously a budget for this fund or for Misa. What amount of the budget is he going to spend on the HR support that he is going to give, since the latest report showed that 91% of municipalities were using consultants to make up for their top structures? We would appreciate some guidance in this direction.
The "how much" part is really a new question and I can provide details, if that is needed, at a later stage. Again, as much as the question is new, I can indicate that this will depend on the extent to which you assess that municipality and then say: This is the HR intervention that you are going to need.
Some interventions don't need money. Some interventions will just say that when it comes to HR capacity, when you deal with the question of recruitment and you recruit competent people, those people already come with capacity. So, it's a question of then asking: How do we deal with these issues? We will come to that point at a particular stage. However, with regard to the "how much" part of it - if the hon delegate will agree - we can provide the details. I know they have come but it will be difficult to do that without having done a final assessment, as in the report which, as I have said, will come around in November.
Release of Manase Report on eThekwini Municipality and implementation of guidelines to deal with corruption in municipalities
65. Prince M M M Zulu (IFP) asked the Minister for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs:
(1) Whether he has taken any steps to ensure that the Manase Report on the eThekwini Municipality is released immediately; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details; (2) whether he will implement strict guidelines to ensure that (a) reports into corruption in municipalities are released immediately and (b) culprits are being charged without delay; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details?