Friends of our City

Zinhle Sokhela:  PCB Director

The launch of the “Friends of our City” campaign is innovative and worthy of support.   Some citizens have reacted negatively to it by claiming their right to acceptable services for which they have paid.   They resent having been asked to clear up rubbish and mow grass verges when these services should have been provided all along by municipal workers who, after all, have demanded wage increases well beyond the current inflation rate.   The municipality and the provincial leaders who have mounted this campaign should not take citizens for granted, for those who have rejected the appeal have a justifiable case. 

On the other hand, the city belongs to each and every citizen, and not to the municipality or its leaders who, in an ideal world, recognise their roles as servants of the communities that make up the cities.   It is in our interests, therefore, to do what we can to make the city the best possible urban environment for our welfare and the welfare of our children.   It is a feature of South African society, I think, that we sit and wait for some other agency to provide without appreciating what a difference our active contribution would make to the general state of existence.    We have developed a rather sad “us” and “them” approach to government which undermines the spirit of civil co-operation that a well-functioning, successful country requires.    That civil society has become marginalised to a large extent is attributable as much to the centrist attitude of omnipotence adopted by government as to the apathy of the citizenry which often has a preference for waiting for someone else to do things for them.   

I suggest that the real needs of the municipality lie not so much in citizen-oriented service delivery as in other areas where an abundant supply of assistance is available.   For a start, people can pay on time, or even before, if they are able.    The city’s cash flow problems have come about as a result of serial defaulters who have not paid their dues.    Yes, the credit control policy of the Municipality has been very poor, but good, responsible citizens who realise that the purpose of local government is to run the city for our benefit, should not need a credit control policy at all.   Then there are all those who steal from the rest of us by doing illegal electricity connections.   These have cost the Municipality millions.    Once again, fingers may be pointed at very poor enforcement, but we should be considering that it is society’s tendency to break the law that costs the country so much money and time to deal with offenders and their offences.    Is it reasonable that a municipality should employ a whole lot of people to prevent some citizens from breaking the law?   The sobering fact is that not all these thieves are driven to it by poverty and deprivation – some are wealthy business people maximising their profits.

It is widely recognised that municipalities are very short on expertise.   Whereas responsible jobs in infrastructure services used to be reserved for qualified engineers, few are available now, at least not for the salaries that municipalities can afford to pay.   It is the same in the financial units, and in waste management and in almost all spheres of local government.     The city has many retired (and active for that matter) people who have the expertise to assist if their offers are accepted.   But experience shows that officials are often reluctant to accept guidance and advice.   Not so long ago, government adopted a programme called Project Consolidate.  Consultants were engaged to engage with business organisations, for example, and request volunteers to assist ailing municipalities.   The PCB was approached and agreed to help by finding such volunteers, but the reservation was expressed that the municipality (Ungungundlovu, not Msunduzi) had shown few signs of being interested in such help.  And so it proved.   After one visit from the consultant, no more was heard of Project Consolidate, although the Minister at the time boasted that it was a successful project.  The state of municipalities, generally, proves that it was an abject failure.   Let’s hope that help offered now, will not be ignored.    

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