In a stark admission of failure at the local government level, African National Congress (ANC) President Cyril Ramaphosa has declared that the days of underperforming and corrupt municipal deployees are "numbered," promising a new era of accountability.
Ramaphosa was delivering the opening address at a special meeting of the party's National Executive Committee (NEC), which was convened specifically to address the deep-seated challenges crippling municipalities across the country.
The ANC President painted a grim picture of the daily realities for residents, citing raw sewage running in streets, uncollected refuse, and a critical lack of water provision. He directly attributed these crises to a combination of poor governance, decaying infrastructure, fiscal mismanagement, and damaging leadership squabbles.
"If people who are deployed do not execute the tasks that they are deployed for, they must be removed without any fail," Ramaphosa stated unequivocally. "If people who are deployed get involved in acts of malfeasance and stealing money from the public purse, they must also be removed without failure. This is the real heart of accountability and consequence management."
Ramaphosa outlined how studies have revealed that political parties are at the center of municipal failures. He lamented that many municipalities fail to deliver even the most basic services due to either "incapacity or mismanagement," a situation so severe it places citizens at risk of disease.
"We find that water and sewage runs through the streets of our townships and towns and into our people's homes," he said, highlighting how delays in repairs and complications with emergency measures compound the suffering.
The ANC President also decried the failure of municipal officials to perform their core duties, criticizing a prevalent culture of outsourcing essential functions, which often results in flawed outcomes. This, he noted, leads the Auditor-General to issue disclaimers on municipal finances.
The new directive means mayors, members of mayoral committees (MMCs), councilors, and officials found wanting on performance or integrity will face dismissal. Ramaphosa conceded that the party's own delays in acting against wrongdoing have caused significant harm.
"We often delay for too long and this harms the standing of the ANC," he admitted.
Furthermore, Ramaphosa highlighted the failure of councilors to engage with the communities they represent, urging the party to prioritize the deployment of competent individuals to key municipal leadership positions. The special NEC meeting is expected to develop concrete mechanisms to implement this new hardline approach.