A VIEW OF THE WEEK: Broke and broken local governments shouldn’t be given more power

As you peruse the dailies, tune into the broadcast waves, or peruse social media feeds, you will encounter illustrations of the faltering state of our municipal entities. With local government elections looming within weeks, regional politics is thrust into the glare of the spotlight – and with it, the question of the extent of power to be bestowed upon local politicians.

A recent proposal to discard provincial governments and embrace a two-tier system has been making waves. This would entail the absence of premiers, leaving only a president in power. Mayors and ministers would replace MECs. While this could indeed trim the excess bureaucracy and streamline processes, delivering services, reducing costs, and potentially curbing corruption, cronyism, and cartels, it remains an unattainable dream unless the present state of local government governance is rectified.

The national government has already established a clear framework of powers, allowing municipalities considerable autonomy and responsibilities. However, the Constitution reserves the right for the national government to intervene under certain, meticulously considered conditions. Despite this, between 35 and 41 municipalities, accounting for 16% of all municipalities nationwide, are presently under administration or national government control.

The National Treasury has cautioned that approximately 63% (162) of municipalities are grappling with financial distress, teetering on the precipice of governance collapse. Earlier this year, it admitted to transitioning from oversight to active, structural intervention as debt mounts and service delivery stagnates.

This week, an Inter-Ministerial Committee (IMC) on Migration, established following President Cyril Ramaphosa's intervention, elucidated how local governments are faltering in their efforts to combat hijacked buildings. While the Constitution grants local governments the authority to evict and rehabilitate these buildings, the requirement to resettle people has proven to be a thorny issue.

With cities unable to afford to house displaced individuals, over 400 non-compliant buildings in our metros are likely to persist, posing imminent threats to safety. The national government is now stepping in to devise a national funding model for temporary emergency accommodation, prioritize legal proceedings, and streamline reporting.

The deterioration of local municipalities can largely be attributed to inadequate leadership and accountability, aging infrastructure, inadequate maintenance and new investments, and unfulfilled promises. However, fragile coalitions often lead to decisions built on shaky grounds, susceptible to being toppled by the next mayor to cross the revolving door.

The absence of stability and capacity, or interest, in holding local government departments accountable has fostered a climate of rampant looting, patronage, and favoritism in many councils and wards. This negligence has even seeped into local ANC branches, resulting in the submission of local candidate lists for elections with inaccurate and unverified identification information.

If local leaders cannot even be trusted to verify ID documents, or resort to providing forged ones, they are undoubtedly unworthy of being entrusted with more power.