SALGA VOICECOVER Final.indd 1 www.salga.org.za INSIDE: ETHICS|DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION |PARTNERSHIPS | THE FIGHTAGAINST COVID-19 YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP 2020/08/03 12:58 PM

ISSUE 32 ToCheck_FP.indd 2 2020/07/08 10:01 AM 10 CONTENTS ISSUE 32, INSIDE THIS ISSUE

18 DRONE TECHNOLOGY THE BULLETIN Drones are taking to the skies to POLICY ISSUES aid better service delivery, improve 34 SECTION 139 community safety and assist with With many municipalities under COVID-19 awareness e orts. We explore administration grappling with expensive how municipalities are harnessing the legal challenges, service delivery protests potential of this powerful new technology and spiralling debt, SALGA and CoGTA question the e cacy of the Constitution’s 20 DATA COLLECTION Section 139 intervention in supporting Without su cient data, South Africa’s local government response to COVID-19 will collapse 39 WORD FROM PARLIAMENT YOUTH MATTERS A roundup of the issues SALGA continues 44 22 YOUTH FORUM to represent in the interests of its member Making sure that the programmes municipalities within the parliamentary UPFRONT designed to empower the youth are not policy-making and oversight processes 2 EDITORIAL DELIVERY derailed during the pandemic period An overdue awakening indeed IN ACTION 25 ENTREPRENEURSHIP 40 PROFESSIONALISING LOCAL 5 FROM THE CEO To successfully make a dent in the GOVERNMENT A mixed bag of good and bad news unemployment statistics, youth Accountability and ethical leadership unemployment should be tackled are contributing factors to the poor through an inclusive approach performance of municipalities THE PULSE PLUGGED IN MUNICIPAL MATTERS 43 ASSET MANAGEMENT 6 THE COMPLEXITIES OF COVID 19 29 CITY OF JOHANNESBURG SALGA, in partnership with the Federation How are municipalities dealing with The City of Johannesburg Housing of Canadian Municipalities, hosted its  rst the challenges and opportunities of the Department’s sustainable efforts asset management summit as part of the global COVID-19 pandemic towards service delivery led o them Building Inclusive Green Municipalities scooping an iconic international award project in the Eastern Cape 10 A PRACTICAL RESPONSE TO COVID 19 from the United Nations We highlight some of the practical 44 INTERNATIONAL NEWS service delivery successes municipalities 30 ELECTRIFYING COMMUNITIES The COVID-19 outbreak has exacerbated have implemented Mining company Glencore Mine many of the faults that we already knew Operations is investing in the welfare of existed. But, it also brings the promise of IN THE HEADLINES local communities within the areas in positive change and hope. We highlight 14 ETHICS which it operates the priorities of the April 2020 United Ethical leadership is paramount Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) to upholding good governance in 33 PARTNERSHIPS presidency meeting local government SALGA has partnered with the Japan International Cooperation Agency to curb water shortages in local municipalities THE LONG VIEW and increase training capacity 16 INNOVATION 16 CONTACT TRACING 36 AUDIT REPORT Technology can help constrain the SALGA responds to the AGSA’s 2018/2019 COVID-19 pandemic, but to what extent audit outcomes should it infringe on our privacy? We take a look at how digital apps might be used in contact tracing to help limit future outbreaks

ISSUE 32 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT 1

SALGA32_Contents.indd 1 2020/08/03 10:26 AM EDITORIAL DELIVERY

AN OVERDUE UPFRONT

AWAKENING INDEED Acting Director, Marketing & Communication: Buhle Ngwenya ime magazine recently called the US’s fight against systemic racism an overdue Communication & Marketing Officer: awakening. This analogy sadly fits in aptly with what has been happening in our Marelda Boshielo country as the global COVID-19 pandemic makes itself felt across the length and Marketing Officer: Valerie Setshedi breadth of our economy and day-to-day lives. PICASSO EDITORIAL & PRODUCTION TEAM TThe pandemic seems to have highlighted to corporate SA, the general middle-and Content Manager: Raina Julies, [email protected] upper-class populace, and unfortunately government, that our most vulnerable Contributors: Keith Bain, Tersia Booyzen, Dale Hes, communities continue to live in inhumane poverty. Never before has the fact that apartheid Levi Letsoko, Anél Lewis, Thapelo Maleke, Puseletso spatial planning, lack of basic infrastructure such as decent housing, roads, sanitation, water Mompei, Tiisetso Tlelima, Rodney Weideman Editorial Intern: Lufuno Maboho supply and electricity, high unemployment numbers and just unprecedented levels of Copy Editor: Brenda Bryden poverty been more evident than it is today. And this, ironically, thanks to a global pandemic Content Co-ordinator: Lwando Njamela that carries its own health challenges and devastations. Head of Design: Jayne Macé-Ferguson When the country went into lockdown at the end of March this year, many of us, Senior Designers: Mfundo Archie Ndzo, including state agencies and ministries were jolted into awareness around the massive Lesley-Ann van Schalkwyk gaps in living standards. Simple and often not-thought about activities while we were in Advert Designer: Bulelwa Sotashe Digital Editor: Stacey Visser lockdown, such as the ability to walk around or exercise on your own property, access Sales Project Manager: Jerome van der Merwe to technology and the means to use the internet or social media apps, visiting the grocery [email protected] store to stockpile toilet paper, canned food and snacks, drive your car with more than Sales Team: Anele Agbai, Jacqueline Bezuidenhout, one passenger, starkly highlighted the continuously widening gap that still exists between Natasha Hendricks, Billy Masemola, Yoliswa Stivin, the majority black rural and township communities and the privileged mainly white Frank Simons Production Editor: Shamiela Brenner suburban households. Advertising Co-ordinator: Merle Baatjes While it certainly has been jarring to realise that many live in this country without Subscriptions and Distribution: consciously understanding that this divide exists, it’s also heartening to have witnessed Shumiera Fredericks, [email protected], how corporate SA, privileged households and local government have partnered up to at Tel: +27 21 469 2400 least plug some of these holes. Business Manager: Lodewyk van der Walt In this issue of the Voice of Local Government, we take a look at how local municipalities [email protected] Management Accountant: Deidre Musha have navigated through the COVID-19 pandemic and what innovative and urgent General Manager, Magazines: Jocelyne Bayer interventions were put in place to allow communities to survive the myriad health and Published by Picasso Headline, a division of economic challenges they’ve faced (pages 6–13). We also talk to the response to unethical Arena Holdings leadership during this time (page 14), how technology (page 18) and data management (page 20) and contact tracing (page 16) initiatives are adaptable to a ‘new normal’ for the 13th Floor, 2 Long Street, Cape Town 8001 business of local government, and we talk to the impact this pandemic has had on our Tel: +27 21 469 2400 Fax: +27 86 6822 926 youth (page 22). www.businessmediamags.co.za SALGA has been hard at work communicating government’s plan of action, programmes, Printing: CTP Printers, Cape Town and initiatives during this period, in and amongst its regular work projects that aim to assist Follow and like SALGA on the following social media platforms. local communities with service delivery issues. Partnerships with both the Federation of Canadian municipalities (page 43) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (page 33) are yielding great results for local municipalities. It’s certainly not ever going to be business as usual for government going forward, Copyright: Picasso Headline and SALGA. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written so we look forward to the many initiatives, programmes and developments that local consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for unsolicited material. Voice of Local Government is published communities will be a part of as we enter a new reality. quarterly by Picasso Headline. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of SALGA or Picasso Headline. All advertisements/ advertorials and promotions have been paid for and therefore do Raina Julies not carry any endorsement by SALGA or the publisher.

SALGA National Offi ce SALGA Eastern Cape SALGA Free State SALGA Gauteng SALGA KwaZulu-Natal SALGA Limpopo SALGA Mpumalanga SALGA North West SALGA Northern Cape SALGA Western Cape Menlyn Corporate Park Berea Terrace Offi ce SALGA House 3rd Floor Braampark 4th Floor Clifton Place 127 Marshall Street SALGA House 56 William Street Block Two, Montrio 7th Floor Block B Building 36 McGregor Street Forum 2, Hurst Grove Polokwane 11 Van Rensburg Street Witkoppies Corporate Park, 44 Strand Street 175 Corobay Avenue First Floor, Suite 3 East End 33 Hoofd Street Musgrave 0699 Nelspruit Klerksdorp 10 Oliver Road, Cape Town Cnr Garsfontein and Berea Bloemfontein Braamfontein Durban Tel: 015-291-1400 1200 2571 Monument Heights, 8000 Corobay East London 9300 2017 4001 Fax: 015-291-1414 Tel: 013-752-1200 Tel: 018-462-5290 Kimberley Tel: 021-446-9800 Waterkloof Glen, Ext 11 5214 Tel: 051-447-1960 Tel: 011-276-1150 Tel: 031-817-0000 Fax: 013-752-5595 Fax: 018-462-4662 8301 Fax: 021-418-2709 Pretoria Tel: 043-727-1150 Fax: 051-430-8250 Fax: 011-276-3636 Fax: 031-817-0034 Tel: 053-836-7900/8 0001 Fax: 043-727-1156/67 Fax: 053-833-3828 Tel: 012-369-8000 Fax: 012-369-8001

2 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUE 32

SALGA32_Eds NoteFINAL.indd 2 2020/08/03 4:07 PM ToCheck_FP.indd 2 2020/07/07 1:20 PM Untitled-6 1 2020/07/07 9:48 AM CEO’S FOREWORD

A MIXED BAG OF GOOD AND BAD NEWS UPFRONT SALGA CEO Xolile George highlights some of the challenges facing municipalities and the opportunities they present while sharing some of SALGA’s achievements

lockdown regulations, being implicated in food parcel debacles, or just generally being found wanting in a time when they should be providing strong leadership. This raises the spectre of a lack of genuine understanding of the code of ethics of councillors as expressed in the Municipal Systems Act. Bold as per text here. On a related side note, SALGA has, during this time, appeared in parliament to present its comments on the Municipal Systems Act Amendment Bill, as well as the Select Committee on Appropriations on Eskom and the Division of Revenue Bill. COVID-19 has also turned the operating models of all sectors on their heads. Of course, bearing in mind the saying that “we should never let a good crisis go to waste”, now is a good time for us to revisit those areas in local government that could require some level of revamping. It should be clear that as we move forward, how we do business will have to be premised around technology, especially data modelling, to be able to plan more accurately and to deliver on the developmental imperatives of the country. We must, however, not let this pandemic distract us from other key imperatives, including accountability. It is vital that we all play a role in focusing on and ensuring that wrongdoing – in the form of corruption and nonperformance – is highlighted and dealt with, through a de ned consequence management framework. Accountability has become more critical than ever, as evidenced by the most recent audit outcomes SALGA CEO Xolile George released by the Auditor-General. These do not inspire con dence. Another ongoing concern is that of energy supply, particularly as ince last we spoke, the world has undergone a significant the debt owed by municipalities to Eskom remains a contentious issue. and historical change, as the COVID-19 pandemic has swept Municipalities themselves are owed billions by government and across the globe, infecting millions and leading to tens of state-owned entities. To this end, SALGA has been engaging on the thousands of deaths. Any global crisis a ects us all, and in a issues with the Political Task Team on Eskom, led by Deputy President David Ssituation such as we face now – with lockdowns, food shortages, jobs being Mabuza. Municipalities are presently owed in the region of R18.7-billion by shed and many citizens su ering enormously – service delivery has never organs of state. SALGA is, therefore, advocating for the appointment of been more important. an ombudsman to deal with the various invoice disputes between Eskom As the arm of government at the centre of such delivery, SALGA has and these municipalities. expended a lot of energy in advocating on behalf of municipalities To end on a happier note, in November, the SALGA’s president, to ensure they receive the necessary  nancial resources to implement Thembisile Nkadimeng, was elected as co-president of the United Cities measures in curbing and managing the virus. It is no surprise to learn since and Local Governments (UCLG) after Deputy Minister Parks Tau stepped the declaration of the State of Disaster, our municipalities that have borne down as the president of the world body. As someone unafraid to the brunt of implementing the regulations laid out by the Minister of stand up and be counted Nkadimeng has already called for national Cooperative Government and Traditional A airs (CoGTA). governments to act on gendered inequalities and enhance wellbeing Challenges abound: although relief packages for local government were with universal healthcare and social protection. She has also called for announced, they have been delivered at a slow pace and have not been the development of an equality framework in urban planning and enough to meet the real needs that COVID-19 has exposed. The virus has legislation to ensure full inclusion of women and girls in the social also brought to the surface the ills and challenges faced by the local fabric of cities and regions. government sector. Her election into the presidency of the UCLG adds further prestige to our Among these are those in local government who have distastefully taken organisation and cements SALGA’s strategic role in local government, both advantage of the situation, leading to reports of some councillors  outing locally and internationally, in line with our strategic pro ling mandate. ▪

ISSUE 32 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT 5

SALGA32_CEO's foreword.indd 5 2020/08/03 2:53 PM THE UPS AND DOWNS OF OPERATING DURING A PANDEMIC

Local government has found itself at the thin edge of the wedge during the COVID-19 pandemic. Facing revenue losses from all sides, it is nonetheless expected to deliver more to citizens who are also struggling, Rodney Weidemann takes a look at how municipalities are dealing with the challenges Eldrid Jordaan CEO of GovChat

CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT Eldrid Jordaan, CEO of GovChat, points out that as a citizen engagement platform, GovChat certainly experienced a spike in use since the local outbreak of the coronavirus. He explains that GovChat is a public sector collaboration tool that was spun out of Mxit to craft a simple platform to connect citizens to government. “With the outbreak of the disease, citizens turned to GovChat to search for their closest COVID-19 public or private testing stations, or even their coronavirus test results. It has also been used to look for Panyaza Lesu , the acting MEC for social development, gave an overnight shelter in Hillbrow, Johannesburg the green light to house homeless people, just public representatives such as ward hours before the implementation of the national lockdown. councillors and traditional leaders, the closest public facilities such as home affairs, police stations and health clinics, and even for hen South Africa’s national lockdown was announced by President Cyril application information about the Ramaphosa, most only had a few days following the announcement to special R350 social relief grant. prepare. So, it was not only citizens whose lives were thrown into chaos, but “This crisis is driving home the also the municipalities that are at the forefront of service delivery. message to government that it WThese entities must follow directives for local government as issued by the Department of is vital for citizens to be able to Cooperative Governance and Traditional A airs (CoGTA), which are designed to mitigate and connect to their government. manage both the risks and catastrophic possibilities associated with the virus. At the same What COVID-19 has done is fast- tracked processes within the public time, these municipalities also need to ensure that they continue providing essential sector that would otherwise have services – something particularly tricky in what is now described as the “new normal”. taken much longer to realise. In essence, it has forced us to become more mobile and to effectively Perhaps the single biggest concern facing municipalities during the digitise the ability to provide lockdown was the projected reduction in revenue collection. public/private communications.”

6 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUE 32

SALGA32_Main Feature.indd 6 2020/08/03 9:11 AM PLUGGED IN

Local government has been playing a crucial role in efforts aimed at curbing the spread and mitigating the negative impact of

the coronavirus. THE PULSE

worth of loans. This is further exacerbated by the fact that many municipal revenue-generating services and facilities have not been operating since the lockdown. These include licencing and vehicle testing centres, community halls, conference facilities, resorts, markets and sporting facilities.” SALGA’s chief officer: Municipal Finance and Economic Growth, Khomotso Letsatsi, announced earlier in the lockdown that the pandemic would result in job losses and reduced income, which ultimately affects municipal revenues and their ability to meet their financial obligations. “The outlook does not look good for the sector across the board,” she says, indicating that municipalities were already struggling to collect revenue from service charges and rates. This has, of course, been worsened by the pandemic. Ratepayers will struggle to pay property rates and service charges, while the number of indigent households, to which municipalities are required to provide basic services, is also increasing as unemployment spikes.” Letsatsi adds that SALGA has projected a ve per cent drop in payment rates, which will cost local government an estimated Khomotso Letsatsi, chief o cer: Municipal Finance and Economic Growth R14-billion, though this is dependent on how long the lockdown lasts. REVENUE THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE Perhaps the single biggest concern facing municipalities during the lockdown was the HUGE EFFORTS BEING MADE projected reduction in revenue collection, owing to job losses, reduced household incomes Despite this, local municipalities have been and the inability of local authorities to rent out their facilities or generate the normal level of making huge e orts to ensure the needs revenue from areas such as traffic fines. of citizens are met. Mavundza points out At the same time, suggests Sikheto Mavundza, acting portfolio head: Health, Community that local government has been playing a Services and Inclusivity at the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), the crucial role in e orts aimed at curbing the lockdown required people with reduced incomes to stay at home, resulting in higher than spread and mitigating the negative impact normal water and electricity usage. While municipalities heeded SALGA’s call not to of the coronavirus, according to the various disconnect residents who were unable to pay their electricity or water bills, Eskom regulations and directives. has been less enthusiastic about a proposal that municipalities be granted a payment Local government has also made e orts holiday because of their revenue collection challenges. “As things stand now, most of the with regard to: municipalities have indicated that they will not be able to pay June salaries. They have, • the identi cation of isolation and therefore, not been in a position to pay bulk service accounts to Eskom and Water Boards quarantine sites either and have thus been threatened with electricity cut-offs,” Mavundza says. • identi cation and making available facilities “Most will close their books for the 2019/20 financial year with huge bank overdrafts. These for shelter for the homeless cities are facing a risk of debt default and recall for immediate payment of billions of rands • monitoring and enforcement

ISSUE 32 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT 7

SALGA32_Main Feature.indd 7 2020/08/03 9:12 AM PLUGGED IN

SE BIG OPPORTUNITIES IN THE “NEW NORMAL” Nomazwi Mhloma, deputy head: ICT Services at eThekwini Municipality, believes that despite current hardships, local government will ultimately gain many technological benefits from the lockdown. She explains that one of the challenges to service delivery has

THE PU L always been the siloed approach taken by many government departments. “However, the need to work from anywhere, yet still collaborate more closely, is helping to break down the walls of these silos. As government entities begin to successfully employ technologies from the fourth industrial revolution (4IR), so an ecosystem develops that is underscored by trust, safety and security, with efficient systems of governance that result in transparency and accountability,” she says. “This, in turn, positions municipalities well for the adoption of 5G, which will deliver high- speed, low-latency connectivity via a ubiquitous network, opening up enormous opportunities for the smart city of the near future. Benefits here include everything from better traffic control and management to stronger security to improvements in e-health and e-education. Sikheto Mavundza This will open up opportunities to reduce unemployment, meet the country’s Sustainable Development Goals and enable knowledge and innovation platforms,” she says. • decontamination and sanitisation of public Mavundza agrees that the increased levels of collaboration are beneficial and will transport facilities drive new behaviours in the future. He points out that councillors and municipal officials • cleansing and sanitisation of public have been convening virtual meetings to ensure that municipalities continue to deliver on space facilities their mandates, and have been sharing information with their communities through various • availing facilities for use for the payment media platforms. of social grants “I have no doubt that these innovations will go a long way in enhancing service • health education delivery. For example, local government can look to use technology for consulting municipal • the issuing of permits to informal stakeholders, thereby significantly increasing the number of people reached. They can also food traders. use technology to help minimise long queues at municipal pay points and service centres, “Some of the directives,” Mavundza continues, such as permitting and licensing venues.“ Many municipalities have also created online “went beyond what was believed to be the platforms for communities to pay their municipal bills. The situation will only improve further mandate of municipalities. For example, after COVID-19, as municipalities are expected to seize the opportunities that arise from the provision of shelters and food for the innovations aimed at responding to the epidemic,” he concludes. ▪ homeless. This is a welfare service that Part B of Schedule 4 of the Constitution determines as a current function of provincial and national competency. FINDING FUNDING “Nonetheless, municipalities have National Treasury has granted approval that funds transferred to municipalities, but not reprioritised their budgets to upscale contractually committed, can be reallocated to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. These reallocations, approved in terms of Section 20 (6) of the Division of Revenue the delivery of basic services such as Act, 2019, include: refuse removal, water and sanitation. • R2.4-billion in Urban Settlements Development Grant allocations to metropolitan Municipalities have been working with the municipalities. These funds will be used for providing water and sanitation, mainly Department of Water and Sanitation to ensure in underserviced informal settlements and to cover the increased costs of more frequent waste management and other services. that all communities have access to water. • R1.5-billion in Municipal Infrastructure Grant allocations can be reallocated for the “Waste management services and municipal provision of water and sanitation, including where urgent maintenance is needed to health services personnel have been part of the restore the functionality of water infrastructure. essential services even during the first level of • R970-million in Public Transport Network Grant allocations may be reallocated, mainly for sanitisation of public transport facilities. lockdown, and have been working tirelessly in • R306-million in the indirect Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant was reallocated at the the cleansing and sanitising of public spaces. end of the 2019/20 national nancial year and transferred to Rand Water to fund the Municipalities have also been hard at work roll-out of water tanks to supply communities without reliable access to water services. procuring chemicals and appropriate A further R151-million has been approved for release from the Municipal Disaster Relief Grant to support nonmetropolitan municipalities with the costs of sanitisation personal protective equipment (PPEs), as and increased provision of other municipal services. Government is also supporting well as working closely with the Department of municipalities to reallocate funds from other conditional grants that are projected to Transport in the cleansing and sanitisation of be underspent. transport facilities,” he says.

“As government entities begin to successfully employ technologies from the fourth industrial revolution (4IR), so an ecosystem develops that is underscored by trust, safety and security, with efficient systems of governance that result in transparency and accountability.” – Nomazwi Mhloma

8 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUE 32

SALGA32_Main Feature.indd 8 2020/08/03 9:12 AM Full Page.indd 1 2020/07/13 12:29 PM In Cape Town, 7 000 homeless people are in temporary accommodation. MUNICIPALITIES RESPOND TO THE BIG ASK Since the State of Disaster was declared in March 2020, municipalities are facing complex challenges and huge pressure to provide additional essential services to their citizens. Puseletso Mompei finds out how they are responding to the demands resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic

ollowing the declaration of the at the South African Local Government State of Disaster, President Cyril Association (SALGA), reported to the Ramaphosa announced that parliamentary monitoring group that 156 R20-billion would be shelters for the homeless had been Fearmarked to municipalities for provided and some 13 000 people had services including emergency water been accommodated. supply, increased sanitation, and Sikhetho Mavundza, acting portfolio the provision of food and shelter for head: Health, Community Services and the homeless. Inclusivity at SALGA, explains that having Ordinarily, municipalities face to provide temporary shelters is negatively numerous challenges, however, the impacting municipalities’ finances. virus has placed additional pressures Municipalities work in tandem with on municipalities to provide temporary the provincial departments of social housing for the homeless, swiftly address development that were tasked with food security, quickly allocate quarantine Mthobeli Kolisa providing food and other essential items to sites, roll out preparations for mass the homeless from the disaster relief funds. burials, and rapidly ensure safety and HOUSING FOR THE HOMELESS To achieve these measures, municipalities health within informal settlements for With regard to temporary housing for have had to reprioritise their budgets to the most vulnerable. Municipalities have the homeless, Mthobeli Kolisa, chief provide accommodation for the homeless. had to co-ordinate their response and act officer: Infrastructure Delivery, Spatial Since the nationwide lockdown, quickly, but there is still much to do. Transformation Services and Sustainability the Provincial Department of Social

10 VOICE of local governmenT Issue 32

SALGA32_Covid Readiness.indd 10 2020/08/03 2:38 PM PLUGGED IN: COVID 19 THE PULSE

Steve Tshwete Municipality mayor, Cllr Tsietsie Tolo, donated protective equipment and sanitisers to care centres in Mpumalanga.

The Department of Social Development allocated R20-million towards the distribution Development in Mpumalanga has placed The Provincial Department of food parcels. This was boosted by a further R23-million donated by the Solidarity Fund. more than 620 homeless people in of Social Development in temporary shelters around the province Mpumalanga has placed more than and provided them with meals. Regular 620 homeless people in temporary check-ups and medication are provided by shelters around the province and the Department of Health. provided them with meals. According to Moiloa, the normal The challenge of homelessness is far process of identification and home more complex in more densely populated circumstance assessment was followed centres. For instance, Cape Town has over to ensure that those who meet the 7 000 homeless people and authorities Social Development, donor organisations requirements benefit from the social relief have been working on extending and individuals fall to municipalities, and of distress programme. existing shelters as well as the long-term some have also introduced food banks to Mavundza says the lack of guidelines development of safe spaces across the city improve access to supplies. for distribution of food parcels in identified communities. North West MEC for Social Development and the dearth of co-ordinated “It must be noted that the reported Boitumelo Moiloa says that since the mechanisms in both the distribution allocation of R20-billion to lockdown her department has provided of food and reporting has been a municipalities – a portion of which social relief of distress in the form of food key challenge. should go towards shelters for the parcels to over 1 500 families facing hunger “As people working with communities homeless – is yet to be transferred to and hardship across the four districts. on a daily basis, councillors found municipalities,” says Mavundza. Distribution was broken down as follows: themselves getting involved in • Ngaka Modiri Molema – 565 the identification of beneficiaries FOOD FOR THE POOR AND HUNGRY • Bojanala – 235 and the distribution of food parcels, Another pressing issue the municipalities • Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati – 382 something which many did not find have to address is that of food security. • Dr Kenneth Kaunda – 336. proper,” he explains. Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) recently reported that since the start of the national lockdown, the proportion of The co-ordination and provision of food parcels provided by the people experiencing hunger increased Department of Social Development, donor organisations and generous from 4.3 to 7 per cent. individuals fall to municipalities, and some have also introduced food The co-ordination and provision of food banks to improve access to supplies. parcels provided by the Department of

ISSUE 32 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT 11

SALGA32_Covid Readiness.indd 11 2020/08/03 10:46 AM The Provincial Department of Social Development in Mpumalanga has placed more than 620 homeless people in temporary shelters around the province and provided them with meals.

ensuring that sites meet quarantine and conduct mass burials, there is no doubt isolation guidelines. that mass burials may soon have to be The biggest challenge here has been conducted given the increase in the that municipalities were directed to number of deaths. identify quarantine sites without any Mavundza explains that discussions guidelines. Recommendations were about conducting mass burials and the only made available more than a month development of guidelines for mass after the directive was given. As a result, burials are being led by the Department some identified facilities were later found of Cooperative Governance and Traditional unsuitable for use as quarantine and Aairs. Municipalities will be faced with the isolation sites. challenge of identifying suitable spaces The Eastern Cape government has for mass burials as well as convincing announced plans to transform the old communities to accept mass burials as and Mthatha Airport hangars, Buffalo City when that stage is reached. Stadium and several other state properties Johannesburg mayor Geo Makhubo Geo Makhubo, mayor of Johannesburg into isolation and quarantine sites. In recently informed a parliamentary committee addition, the province also plans to build that 517 hectares of burial space in the city 500-bed field hospitals in each of its has been identied for this purpose. Besides reports of manipulation of eight districts. In mid-May, eThekwini municipality processes when it comes to identifying KwaZulu-Natal health o cials opened spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said while beneficiaries in some areas, there have a 275-bed quarantine site in the rst week the city was focusing on attening the curve also been incidences of unsafe food being of June ahead of an expected peak of of the pandemic rather than thinking about distributed to people. He cautions that COVID-19 infections in the second half mass graves, only 5 of the city’s 65 graveyards without guidelines outlining the criteria on of this year. The facility, situated in the would be able to accept new graves by the which beneficiaries should be selected and Clairwood Hospital, south of Durban, was end of the year. the roles and responsibilities of different role- built in a little over two months. Authorities players in the distribution of food parcels, the said the province now has over 5 000 beds HEALTH AND SAFETY FOCUS reported challenges will continue. for quarantined patients. The Socio-Economic Rights Institute of South Africa (SERI) estimates that about CURTAILING INFECTION THROUGH BURYING THE DEAD 1.4 million households, or between QUARANTINE MEASURES Death is a grim reality of the COVID-19 2.9 and 3.6 million people, live in Preventing new infections in communities crisis. While no municipality is yet to informal settlements in South Africa. is a key factor in curbing the pandemic and quarantine is an important measure for stopping the spread of the disease. While most South Africans will be quarantined in their homes, others can be placed in community-based facilities for the quarantine period. Many municipalities have identified and made sites available to be used as isolation and quarantine facilities within their local areas. Municipal environmental health practitioners together with officials from the Department of Health and the Department of Public Health and Infrastructure have also been conducting inspections in the identified facilities. The provincial Areas at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium that are being used as departments of health are responsible for an isolation site to treat COVID-19 patients.

12 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUE 32

SALGA32_Covid Readiness.indd 12 2020/08/03 10:46 AM PLUGGED IN: COVID 19 THE PULSE

Passengers going through screening as part of COVID-19 safety measures at the Rea-Vaya bus stations.

Municipalities together with the Department of Human Settlement and the Department of Water and Sanitation have scaled up health and safety measures in informal settlements. Mavudza says that the provision of basic services to reduce the vulnerability of people living in informal settlements has been in the form of interventions that include improving access to refuse removal and water and sanitation services to areas that previously had no such access. In Limpopo, the Valkplaas community in Water tank delivery to the North West province. Sekhukhune, received two storage water tankers to supply almost 500 households In the Free State, Premier Sisi Ntombela reported that by mid-May 134 water trucks campaigns. Councillors and municipal community radio, social media and visits had been delivered. health officials continue to raise awareness, to the community, on how residents can However, improving access to basic through different means including safeguard their health and safety. ▪ services remains limited due to a lack of funds and resources. Municipalities have also made efforts The provision of basic services to reduce the vulnerability of people living to address the health and safety of in informal settlements has been in the form of interventions that include the informal dwellers through hygiene improving access to refuse removal and water and sanitation services. education communication and awareness

ISSUE 32 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT 13

SALGA32_Covid Readiness.indd 13 2020/08/03 2:31 PM Enforcing ethics in local government Ethical leadership is paramount to upholding good governance in municipalities. But, what are municipalities doing when ethical behaviour and integrity by officials is lacking, asks Tersia Booyzen

Welkom’s Matjhabeng Municipality mayor Nkosinjani Speelman Gauteng premier David Makhura

rom the constitution down to municipal bylaws, a great emphasis information, any act of bribery or corruption, and any other act of is placed on the ethical behaviour and integrity of local government misconduct, which would in law constitute grounds for just dismissal. officials. It is heartening to see that the courts and political parties Since the end of 2019 and especially since the State of Disaster was are upholding good governance and acting decisively where declared in March, there have been several instances where the law Ftransgressions have taken place. and the agreement have been successfully applied to discipline and The code of conduct for councillors state that a councillor must firstly correct errant local government officials. perform the functions of office in good faith, honestly and a transparent Dominating the news due to its scope is the ANC’s takeover bid of the manner; and secondly, at all times, act in the best interest of the City of Tshwane. Since last year, the City of Tshwane municipal council in the municipality and in such a way that the credibility and integrity of the metro has failed to sit because of the ANC and EFF’s various staged walkouts, municipality are not compromised. motions of no confidence and political disputes. The elected coalition Unfortunately, there are always some that will engage in political game- partners, the EFF and the DA, make up about 99 of the seats, but without playing, poor service delivery, racism and defrauding and stealing from 108 seated members in the chamber, there is no quorum and no decisions constituents. These are some of the reasons why local municipalities and can be made. This has had a severely negative impact on service delivery. metros receive negative press for unethical behaviour. In March, Gauteng premier David Makhura placed the city under To counter this, a Disciplinary Procedure Collective Agreement administration for failing to carry out its constitutional obligations. In April, was signed in 2018 by the South African Local Government Association the high court in Pretoria overturned Makhura’s decision to dissolve the (SALGA), the Independent and Allied Trade Union (IMATU), and the South Tshwane municipal council, but the order was suspended pending the lifting of African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU). lockdown restrictions. This means lawfully elected councillors remained out of Other than written warnings and suspension without pay, the agreement office while the team of administrators, appointed on 23 March, continue to run states that an employee may be dismissed on the first occasion for issues the City. On 10 June, the North Gauteng High Court set aside the dissolution of such as intimidation, being under the influence or consuming alcohol or the City of Tshwane council, ruling in favour of the DA, which means the city can intoxicating drugs while on duty, any act of dishonesty, any act of gross sit and elect a new mayor with immediate effect and not wait for the appeal to negligence, gross insubordination, wrongful disclosure of privileged the Constitutional Court by the Gauteng Provincial Government.

14 VOICE of local governmenT Issue 32

SALGA32_Ethics.indd 14 2020/08/03 2:29 PM IN THE HEADLINES: ETHICS

TAKING ACTION AGAINST RACISM At the beginning of April, Welkom’s Matjhabeng municipality mayor Nkosinjani Speelman, referred to the mostly coloured inhabitants of Bronville as “boesmans” while addressing the South African National

Defence Force. “In Bronville, you know some of the boesmans, they THE PULSE take some chances; don’t hesitate. I talked to them yesterday but when you close them [down], they get out and drink again,” he was recorded as saying on video. At the time, the ANC’s provincial spokesperson Thabo Meeko stated: “The issue of Speelman is being dealt with by the ANC provincially. And, according to legislation, we have been informed that we cannot take him out of his mayoral position. The process is guided by municipal bylaw. I can confirm, however, that [Speelman] is suspended as both an ANC member and mayor.” Musawenkosi “Chippy” Masina

ZERO TOLERANCE FOR FRAUD AND THEFT The immediate response by leadership is reassuring as the The ANC in Mpumalanga has terminated the membership of municipality had been identi ed by the Zondo Commission as one of Musawenkosi “Chippy” Masina, the Ward 2 councillor in the Steve the Mpumalanga municipalities with a track record of mismanagement, Tshwete local municipality in Middelburg. Municipal officials maladministration and general corruption. According to the 2017/2018 discovered that he had issued a fraudulent permit to a shopowner Auditor-General’s (AG’s) report, the municipalities had about R2-billion in after the relaxation of regulations on grocery shops. Masina was irregular expenditure of which R236-million was deemed fruitless issued with a warning. However, he was arrested on April 10, the or wasteful. following day, in Hendrina for selling more fake permits to traders. SUSPENSIONS FOR VIOLATING REGULATIONS In the North West province, the ANC leadership suspended the membership of three of its councillors for allegedly outing lockdown regulations. In Bojanala, Tryphosa Botlhokwane of the Moses Kotane Local THE LEGAL REQUIREMENTS FOR Municipality has been suspended following her alleged violation of the ETHICAL BEHAVIOUR regulations and related acts of misconduct. The municipality placed her on Basic values and principles governing public special leave following allegations made by foreign national traders that she administration 195. was selling municipality-procured sanitisers. (1) Public administration must be governed by the democratic values and principles enshrined in the In the Ngaka Modiri Molema region, Lerato Selebogo and Alfred Constitution, including the following principles: Nyamane, both deployed in the Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality, (a) A high standard of professional ethics must be have also been suspended for violating lockdown regulations and promoted and maintained. (b) Efficient, economic and committing acts of misconduct as stipulated in the ANC constitution. The effective use of resources must be promoted. two ANC councillors were suspended following allegations that they were (c) Public administration must be development-oriented. asking for food parcel contributions from businesses for personal gain. (d) Services must be provided impartially, fairly, equitably and without bias. (e) People’s needs must be THE STATE OF THE NATION responded to, and the public must be encouraged to The AG’s report stated that 74 per cent of municipalities countrywide participate in policy-making. (f) Public administration must be accountable. (g) Transparency must be did not adequately follow up allegations of  nancial and supply fostered by providing the public with timely, accessible chain management misconduct and fraud, and 45 per cent of the and accurate information. (h) Good human-resource municipalities did not have all the required mechanisms for reporting management and career-development practices, to and investigating transgressions or possible fraud. At 62 per cent of the maximise human potential, must be cultivated. municipalities, the council failed to conduct the required investigations (i) Public administration must be broadly representative into all instances of unauthorised, irregular and fruitless and wasteful of the South African people, with employment and expenditure reported in the previous year. personnel management practices based on ability, One of the reasons given for the accountability failures was that: objectivity, fairness, and the need to redress the “Leadership and municipal o cials deliberately or negligently ignored imbalances of the past to achieve broad representation. (2) The above principles apply to: their duties and disobeyed legislation, which was not decisively dealt with (a) administration in every sphere of government; through mechanisms for enforcing consequences for transgressions.” (b) organs of state; and It is encouraging to see the laws and bylaws take their course in the (c) public enterprises. instances cited above. The AG’s  ndings seem to have found fertile soil Source: The South African Constitution, Chapter 10, and even during the State of Disaster, leadership is acting resolutely Public Administration and immediately to ensure the integrity and ethical behaviour of local government remains a priority. ▪

ISSUE 32 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT 15

SALGA32_Ethics.indd 15 2020/08/03 10:54 AM ARMING OUR VIRUS DETECTIVES WITH TECHNOLOGY Technology can help constrain the COVID-19 pandemic, but to what extent should it infringe on our privacy? Keith Bain considers how digital apps might be used in contact tracing to help limit future outbreaks

visiting con rmed carriers to track down people who may have been exposed to the disease. Although imperfect, detecting lines of transmission in this way helps reduce the need for mass quarantine. But, it requires a lot of manpower. The scale of the current pandemic, combined with the infectiousness and stealth of the virus, means vast armies of contact tracers are required. Analogue contact tracing, although useful in the way it emphasises rapport and trust between people, has glitches. Language can be a barrier to eective communication and there is skill involved in eectively allaying someone’s fears and anxieties. Convincing a stranger that you’re here to help while instructing them to quarantine isn’t easy. There is also tremendous risk of coming up empty-handed or with incorrect information. Interviewees may lie, fudge details, dodge questions or get defensive. People often fear that sharing information about who they’ve been in contact with is a type of betrayal. Or the timing of interviews may render eorts obsolete because they happen too late due to an insurmountable n 27 May, a lecturer friend in According to tech expert Kai-Fu Lee, South backlog of cases. South Korea posted a message on Korea’s use of location-based messaging “has Facebook: “There are new infections been a crucial tool in the battle to reduce the TECHNOLOGY TO THE RESCUE at the university I work at. Just got transmission of the disease”. He says: “Nine Contact tracing may have squashed Ebola in West Oa government warning on my phone. The good out of 10 South Koreans have been getting Africa, but the size of the current crisis means thing is the message tells me the exact location, location-based emergency messages that alert that it might be prudent to put technology date and time when the infected people were them when they are near a con rmed case.” to work. Which brings us back to my lecturer there. The infected were there last Saturday Such tools are a fast tech-based aide for public friend. “In Korea,” he wrote, “contact tracing has in the Arts hall at a meeting from 13:00 until health ocials trying to stem a contagious been made a lot more eective by tracking 17:00. I love Korean use of contact tracing and disease outbreak using contact tracing – a people’s movements using their smartphones clear communication.” sleuthing strategy that involves calling or and credit card data. They implemented the laws

The scale of the current pandemic, combined with the infectiousness and stealth of the virus, means vast armies of contact tracers are required.

16 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUE 32

SALGA32_Contact Tracing.indd 16 2020/08/03 10:32 AM INNOVATION:XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX CONTACT TRACING

that make it possible during the MERS outbreak.” “Tech-supported contact tracing needn’t give governments or tech South Korea avoided the Chinese hard companies too much power.” – Professor Danielle Allen ARMING OUR lockdown approach by relying on new technology. Along with widespread testing, positive individuals are swiftly located and government app that monitors citizen health they can identify hotspots and prevent their contacts traced using digital tools. and includes GPS tracking. outbreaks. To this end, governments have THE LONG VIEW THE LONG VIRUS DETECTIVES Everything from security camera footage But, according to Harvard University professor been rolling out apps that include some data to mobile phone records is used to trace a Danielle Allen who heads up the Edmond J. Safra collection and varying levels of centralisation of case’s activity over the two weeks preceding Center for Ethics, “tech-supported contact tracing that data. WITH TECHNOLOGY the positive test. needn’t give governments or tech companies too By mid-May, some 47 contact-tracing apps Similar tech-driven strategies were much power”. Nor does it need to “trample civil were in use in 28 countries. In South Africa, implemented in Singapore where some liberties” to be e ective, she says. one locally developed resource is Ukheshe’s 40 per cent of the initial 802 cases received Take Apple and Google, for example. They say Track and Trace service, which reports back to their first indication of possible infection in their collaborative app – Exposure Notifi cation you if you’ve been in a venue where infections the form of a health ministry text message. – doesn’t collect location or other identi able are reported. The app is free, but needs to be In China, initial physical restrictions were, information and they claim commitment to downloaded to a smartphone, which leads to over time, replaced by digital surveillance. preserving personal privacy. It’s opt-in software another concern: access. For contact tracing Based on location, basic health background that – if you have it installed – will notify you if apps to be entirely e ective, some 60 per and travel history, an Alibaba app assigns you’ve been in contact with someone who has cent of the population must be plugged in. In users a colour – green allows full freedom tested positive. And it prompts you to get tested Africa, we’re lagging. of movement, while yellow and red invite or to quarantine. In Singapore, the technology did restrictions or supervised quarantine. The focus is simply on automating contact nothing to stop the second wave of In Hong Kong, digital-tracking bracelets are tracing, thereby reducing the time it takes to infections among migrant labourers given to everyone who gets o a plane. inform someone that they’ve been exposed because many don’t own smartphones. My friend went on to explain that South to the virus. Of course, contact tracing apps are just part Koreans are generally accepting of this form of Since these two tech giants control about of a broader strategy. And they’re there to surveillance. It’s because, he says, there’s greater three billion smartphones, around 40 per cent of support manual contact tracing, not replace emphasis on the good of society as a whole the global population could have access. it. The idea is to help authorities reach people rather than the individual. People are digitally Because geolocation is unnecessary for sooner and get them isolated faster, which monitored, but they know it and it seldom causes contact tracing, the Apple-Google app doesn’t suggests that where technology is available, it concern or fear. They seem comfortable having track users’ locations. It simply provides push should be engaged with. certain aspects of personal privacy undermined noti cations to the user. In a pandemic, rapid sharing of when it’s in the best interests of society. For public health o cials, though, there is accurate information is vital. And However, in the west, the fear of being value in knowing where the virus has been. smartphones, with their digital collection monitored tends to trump social collectivism. Access to geotracking technology enables of data, can assist with that. In the battle Many have already identi ed the potential for them to create detailed maps of where against an invisible contagion, our virus more widespread Big Brother-style monitoring exposed cases and contacts have been so detectives need all the help they can get. ▪ to emerge on the back of using surveillance technology in the  ght against SARS-CoV-2. Some of this is due to seemingly draconian measures already witnessed. In Tzaneen local municipality in the Limpopo province, for example, one municipality used drones to try and enforce lockdown and physical distancing, while having the mayor’s voice blast messages about hand washing from the skies. In China, drones are deployed to detect people not wearing masks in public, while Russia has facial recognition cameras on the streets to catch quarantine violators. In March, Taiwan became the  rst nation to use electronic geofencing to ensure individuals followed self-isolation orders. It meant that peoples’ mobile phones held them under surveillance. And in India, it became mandatory for people to download a

ISSUE 32 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT 17

SALGA32_Contact Tracing.indd 17 2020/08/03 10:33 AM TAKING TO THE SKIES FOR BETTER SERVICE DELIVERY In several municipalities around the country, drones are taking to the skies to enhance service delivery, improve community safety and assist with COVID-19 awareness e orts. Dale Hes explores how these municipalities are harnessing the potential of this powerful new technology

A drone-captured aerial view of Cape Town.

nmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) also known as drones, Municipal spokesperson Bongi Ka Dube says that the municipality have useful applications in a variety of areas. From security is one of the first in the country to actively train drone pilots, surveillance to land surveying, photography and recognising the potential of drones to enhance operations. videography and even remote-sensing, the use of these “The world is transforming to the science of big data and the Uremarkable machines has grown exponentially worldwide. And fourth industrial revolution (4IR). This is changing the way things municipalities in South Africa are now jumping on the bandwagon. are done including the performance of municipal functions. GSDM observed that drone-based technology o ers cheaper, safer and faster TRAINING DRONE PILOTS methods of performing the day-to-day functions in the municipal In the Gert Sibande District Municipality (GSDM) in Mpumalanga, space.” Functions identied by the municipality include the assessment officials realised the potential of drones to perform municipal of strategic infrastructure, the monitoring of gas emissions for functions more efficiently. This includes the assessment of road municipal health surveillance, land mapping and contour surveying. infrastructure, which prompted the municipality to begin training Although the two employees have officially qualified as drone municipal employees working in this space to become drone pilots. pilots, the municipality has yet to make use of their services, due So far, two employees, Tebogo Tsotetsi and Sifiso Simelane, have to the stringent regulations on UAVs set by the Civil Aviation qualified as drone pilots. Authority (CAA).

18 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUE 32

SALGA31_Drone Tech.indd 18 2020/08/03 11:04 AM INNOVATION: DRONE TECHNOLOGY

“Research is critical in understanding how drone technology or any other technological advancements can assist municipalities in executing their functions.” – Bongi Ka Dube THE LONG VIEW THE LONG “We see great potential for drones to help with combatting and preventing crime, as well as collecting important geographical and environmental management information. Technology allows us to do things effectively and efficiently and can cut costs and turnaround times for projects.”

DEDICATED DRONE UNIT The City of Cape Town was one of the first municipalities in South Africa to begin using drones, hiring external operators to conduct many operations, particularly in community safety. The City has now trained its own pilots and formed a dedicated drone unit that will Drones have several valuable functions including security, photography, make use of several different drones. and collecting and disseminating important information. “We began this process many years ago when we assessed cities internationally to understand the merit and value of the use of drones,” explains JP Smith, mayoral committee member for safety and security. “The municipality is still working on other statutory requirements Smith says that aerial photography has a vast number of uses, but that are prerequisites for the use of drones by the municipality. current methods are simply too unaffordable to fully capitalise on We need to secure a licence for the institution as a drone operator,” the opportunities. says Dube. “Currently, most aerial photography is done from helicopters. But She advises, however, that municipalities should always explore this becomes una ordable. Drones are, therefore, a very quick  x and the options o ered by new technologies. rapidly pay for themselves compared to using helicopters.” “Research is critical in understanding how drone technology or any The city aims to use the drones for the assessment of other technological advancements can assist municipalities in executing informal settlements and infrastructure, as well as for disaster their functions. We believe in research, training, experimentation and management and crime- ghting support purposes. implementation as an approach to improving the way we execute our “Through the external operators, we could see how e ective functions as we gear ourselves to operate in the 4IR space.” drones can be in assisting with crime- ghting operations. For example, before law enforcement begins a gang operation, the USING DRONES IN THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19 drones can be sent up to act as support. With thermal imaging, they Meanwhile, in the Greater Tzaneen Local Municipality in Limpopo, can easily pick up body heat and can also detect any objects that are drones have been deployed to educate residents about COVID-19. The being discarded, such as a  rearm or drugs,” Smith says. municipality used the services of licensed drone operating company In terms of disaster management, drones can be sent into areas Ntiyiso Aviation Services to deliver key messaging about COVID-19 that are too dangerous for people or helicopters to enter. through attached loudspeakers. Delivered by the mayor in the most “They can be used during  res, for example, when wind and smoke commonly used languages of the area, this messaging has included make the use of a helicopter unsafe. Also, they can easily conduct reminders about social distancing and regular hand washing. assessments of the damage caused by a disaster,” says Smith. Municipal spokesperson Neville Ndlala says that the drones allowed As with many other municipalities exploring the use of drones, the municipality to quickly reach areas that were di cult the city has been frustrated by the over-regulation and extensive to access. licensing requirements dictated by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). “We wanted to send the important safety messages while also “There is currently way too much red tape to get through. capturing footage at the same time. Drones allowed us to reach areas We tried to make submissions that the process should be made that are normally difficult to access and broadcast messages in areas more streamlined for governments, but this was not successful,” where people were either unaware or simply ignored the messages Smith says. from government. It has also allowed us to ensure compliance with The City’s drone unit is, however, completely prepared to the regulations.” begin operations. He adds that the municipality will continue to explore the use of “We are in the final stages of getting all the necessary approvals, drones after the lockdown. so we are ready to roll,” says Smith. ▪

“We see great potential for drones to help with combatting and preventing crime, as well as collecting important geographical and environmental management information.” – Neville Ndlala

ISSUE 32 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT 19

SALGA31_Drone Tech.indd 19 2020/08/03 11:05 AM DIGITAL SOLUTION

THE IMPORTANCE

THE LONG VIEW THE LONG OF DATA COLLECTION

Without sucient data, South Africa’s response to COVID-19 would collapse, writes Dale Hes

he COVID-19 pandemic has brought about an unprecedented collaborative e ort to produce data that is critical to tracking the current spread of the Tvirus and also to project its future impacts. Local government has a valuable opportunity to learn from this, by placing more emphasis on collection and analysis of data when delivering services to the people. Vukosi Marivate THE DATA SCIENCE DRIVE Dr Vukosi Marivate, ABSA chair of data science Valuable work has been done by universities and science councils such as the CSIR in this space. at the University of Pretoria, has years of “All universities have researchers who are trying to assist using their expertise and are either analysing experience in the eld of data collection and data that is linked with COVID-19 or doing modelling. Science councils have also brought in their analysis. He highlights how data-driven expertise,” Dr Marivte says. initiatives are crucial to fully understand the impacts of COVID-19. USING DATA TO IMPROVE LOCAL GOVERNANCE “We need to have di erent data systems that These collaboratives have provided more evidence of why data collection is so important for improving are speaking to each other. It is not only the the operations of municipalities. data about the spread of the pandemic that is “Municipalities need to understand why data is important and how they can capacitate important, we also need to be able to deal with themselves to better handle it, to use it and be able to share open government data. This capacity the e ects on the health system and both the building is simply not just outsourcing the handling of municipal data, the capacity has to be built social and economic implications. For example, within,” says Dr Marivate. how much capacity in real-time do we have in He points to the 8 Principles of Open Government Data, developed by a group of the health facilities system (private or public)?” international researchers, as an important guideline for municipalities to follow. The principles Dr Marivate and his team developed a state that data should be complete, made widely available to the public timeously and not subject to COVID-19 South Africa dashboard, which any restrictions such as copyright. contains detailed information about Dr Marivate’s research group, Data Science for Social Impact, works to better understand the pandemic and allows other experts to how data science can be used to tackle societal challenges in South Africa, linked closely to the contribute information. functioning of government. “The dashboard has allowed over 50 “This is why we have many connections with government entities – local, provincial and national. volunteers to work together in making available We know that decision-makers have to understand how technologies such as articial intelligence open COVID-19 data that is sourced from ocial and data science can be used in their scenarios. However, they also have to understand how to sources. This data is available for scientists, responsibly handle these technologies as well as the data required to enable them.” researchers, innovators and the public to use.” SALGA has sought to drive open data access through the Municipal Barometer, which He says that numerous innovations have recognises that “e cient and eective decision-making has been hindered by the arisen from the initiative. “We have seen many di culty of accessing readily available and reliable local-level data”. innovations such as real-time maps, testing The web-based portal provides information on local demographic trends, social facility information, translations of dashboards development, economic growth, environmental and municipal nances at local, district and because of working openly and making the data provincial levels. available in machine-readable format with an It is clear that local governments should make a concerted e ort to use these resources and open licence.” to generate their own reliable data if service delivery outcomes are to be achieved. ▪

20 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUE 32

SALGA32_CSIR.indd 20 2020/08/03 11:06 AM ADVERTORIAL

MAKANA COLLABORATES FOR COHESION The COVID-19 pandemic has shown that collaboration, co-operation and the mutual creation of solutions are vital between all local stakeholders if communities are to prosper Paul Smith

peaking at a recent Trialogue webinar, “Supporting Local recognised this positive energy as an essential ingredient for transformation Government in the Midst of a Global Pandemic”, Paul Smith, and so instituted discussions with stakeholders in 2019. Kagiso Trust’s local government support head, recounted the The MCU, according to Smith, created various focus groups (clusters) trust’s ongoing work with the Makana municipality in the to attract stakeholders with relevant interests and skills. Municipal SEastern Cape, using it as a case study of what can be achieved. department heads were represented in all clusters providing a rst-time “When people set aside their differences and get their hands dirty opportunity for o cials and civil society to share views and agree on working together, things get done,” says Smith. key focus areas and initiatives. The Kagiso Trust began working with the Makana municipality “The new MCU collaborative structure has begun reaping the dividends: finance department in 2018, assisting with debt and revenue relationships are being mended, issues are being discussed and solutions management issues, as well as building capacity and transferring found, and, previously polarised groups are collaborating,” says Smith. skills. Municipal revenues were shrinking, service delivery levels were The MCU has enabled a new food security cluster to co-ordinate feeding rapidly declining, unemployment levels were at an all-time high, and schemes and enhance the regional response to the food security crisis the municipality was unable to attract people to this once sought- during COVID-19. This includes collaboration with government agencies, after town. “At Kagiso, we wanted to reimagine our support for local SASSA, DSD, SAP and the municipality to make food parcel delivery possible. government and find ways for our support to impact on marginalised The MCU has also assisted in developing COVID-19 communication communities directly. Our work with local governments was having material, manufacturing face masks, producing sanitation liquid, and some impact, but it was debatable if it was being filtered through to has actively participated in the Municipal Joint Operation Committee the greater community,” says Smith. (JOC) meetings. “In Makana, we included three new elements over and above revenue “Makana leadership has demonstrated that transformation is management support. First was indigent management – identifying possible when people set aside differences, embrace disruption, the poorest of the poor who need the most social support and linking remain people-centric and hold each other accountable. Kagiso them to the output of the local economic development (LED) strategy. Trust looks forward to sharing its experience in Makana with other Second was to develop a meaningful, commonly accepted LED municipalities,” says Smith. ▪ strategy that would promote sustainable local job creation. Community engagement to support the formation of an integrated stakeholder For more information: coalition to create solutions to local challenges together was third.” www.kagiso.co.za Smith says building stakeholder cohesion is no simple task. Active [email protected] communities and institutions with diverse views and perspectives 011 566 - 1900 have to set aside their differences, agree to collaborate and organise themselves for meaningful constructive engagement. This is what the Kagiso Trust and Makana municipality did, and it gave rise to the Makana Circle of Unity (MCU) platform. Makana has an active civil society that is passionately interested in the region’s prosperity. This group of committed citizens were often referred to as the “Circular Firing Squad”, agreeing on the need for change, but with no consensus on how to achieve it. Kagiso Trust

ISSUE 32 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT 21

SALGA32_Kagiso Trust.indd 21 2020/07/20 2:45 PM he COVID-19 pandemic has had a disastrous e ect on the economy of countries worldwide. Never before HOW THE in South Africa’s democratic history Thas our country been confronted with such a severe situation. YOUTH FORUM IS While attention is currently focused on those most immediately a ected by the virus, there are many indications that the COVID-19 pandemic will have long- RESPONDING TO lasting social, cultural, economic, political and multidimensional impacts on society, especially on young people. COVID-19 The Local Government Youth Development Forum (LGYDF) is committed to the goals As young people are increasingly being a ected by the COVID-19 enshrined in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable health crisis, youth organisations need to take swift action and Development, the World Programme of Action respond to the crisis to ensure that programmes designed to for Youth and the UN Youth Strategy. Respect for all human rights – including economic, empower the youth are not derailed, writes Thapelo Maleke social and cultural rights as well as civil and political rights – is fundamental to the success of public health responses and recovery from the pandemic.

A SPECIAL COMMITTEE IS FORMED Realising that the pandemic will severely disrupt youth development programmes and activities in the metropolitan, district and local municipalities, the LGYDF had to respond quickly and set up a special COVID-19 committee on youth development in municipalities. The committee was tasked with developing a COVID-19 response plan that calls young people to act against the pandemic and foster partnerships safely and e ectively. The forum recognises the potential of the youth to advance the ght against the pandemic as well as their understanding of the specic impacts the pandemic has and will have on young people. So, the LGYDF has ensured that The youth will disseminate information about the virus in all local languages. Networks its COVID-19-related responses uphold of young people, such as those living with HIV, are reaching out to their peers to assess their young people’s human rights and are needs, monitor disruption of services and ensure dissemination of information on how to access inclusive of young people’s specic needs. antiretrovirals, as well as spreading adapted and fact-based information. Young people are also connecting communities and raising spirits through innovative ideas and social media platforms. SWINGING INTO ACTION The LGYDF will start the YouthLine as well as the Skeem Saam patrollers in the wards initiatives The LGYDF’s special Covid-19 committee has to promote compliance with the hygiene standards. embarked on several actions as part of its Food banks. In the spirit of supporting others, young people will be helping the forum COVID-19 response plan. to address the COVID-19-related needs of the most vulnerable in our communities and COVID-19 awareness campaign. will safely help seniors and persons with disabilities to access supplies, such as food and Young people are at the forefront of risk medication. The forum will engage all the food banks from both government and private sector communication initiatives – spreading the to ensure that much-needed food and medication reach the people. word about combatting misinformation, The rst phase of the food bank initiative involves recruiting young people in municipalities to discrimination and stigma related to the crisis, be trained as farmers and producers of food that can be sourced, collected, and stored as edible physical distancing and proper measures to surplus food from the supply chain and redistributed to registered beneciary organisations (BOs) stop the spread of the virus. across South Africa that prepare meals.

22 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUE 32

SALGA32_Youth Day.indd 22 2020/08/03 11:10 AM YOUTH MATTERS: YOUTH FORUMS

The LGYDF recognises the potential its strategy to align youth development o cers of the youth to advance the fight (YDOs) and assist municipalities in streamlining against the pandemic as well as their youth development programmes. their understanding of the specific impacts the pandemic has and will FINANCIAL AND NON FINANCIAL SUPPORT

have on young people. VIEW THE LONG The inclusion and participation of the youth in the economy is a cornerstone of the COVID-19 The forum will approach the private response plan. Young people should be able to sector to donate data, engage with the actively participate in shaping responses and mobile network operators to zero-rate need to be meaningfully included in all aspects service delivery portals, and challenge and phases of the response. municipalities to provide free Wi-Fi as The LGYDF will pilot a youth part of the basic services to communities. entrepreneurship development This will enable access to information, programme in eight metropolitan e-learning activities and e-services municipalities of South Africa. This will help and digital platforms and create easy the economy to recover and enable young Thapelo Maleke communication with youth practitioners entrepreneurs to get back to business. The in municipalities. forum will also advocate for the establishment of enterprise development hubs or supplier In addressing the economic and food RESEARCH, MONITORING development parks in municipalities. security impact of the crisis, young workers AND EVALUATION For the world to recover from the COVID-19 including farmers and rural entrepreneurs Young people will contribute to data pandemic sustainably and equitably, young will have to be innovative and use various collection for the assessment of the impact people must be included and supported. technologies and communication tools to of COVID-19 on youth development, women The LGYDF calls on all young people in South develop local solutions. Such work is critical and persons with disabilities. The research will Africa, Africa and the world to join e orts to maintain supply chains and build alternate, be conducted through the online platforms to with our municipalities and tribal councils more resilient and inclusive economies, which make it easy for the youth to participate. to ensure that we deal e ectively with the are vital to ensure access to adequate food The forum will engage in monitoring coronavirus and emerge stronger. ▪ supply for the population. and evaluation activities to measure the The second phase of the food bank will impact of the interventions from both reach out to commercial farmers, allowing government and the private sector. The The Local Government Youth them to donate their post-harvest surplus success of the COVID-19 response plan Development Forum (LGYDF) is a produce to fight hunger. These donations depends on collaboration and programme multistakeholder forum advocating for will drastically improve the nutritional value understanding, knowledge and experience youth development and integration of the food we recover. of setting up successful research, monitoring in the local government sector. It systems, and the identi cation of areas of aims to ensure the full participation DATABANK AND DIGITAL HUBS improvement. The monitoring and evaluation of youth development o cers in Young people are experiencing di culties tool will assist the forum in assessing the the implementation of programmes with connectivity as a result of data costs in di erence being made and provide critical at a metropolitan, district and local the country. As such, they have limited access intelligence on projects and programmes. municipality level. The LGYDF’s mission, “Young people to the government services that require online taking charge in leading development” applications and they cannot assist the schools CAPACITY BUILDING will ensure that it remains relevant to with limited resources to transfer and translate Young people are actively contributing to its target group – youth development school curricula for broader online use. e orts to reduce the spread of the virus and practitioners in all municipalities, As part of the LGYDF’s contribution mitigate the pandemic’s impact. They are also young councillors, young mayors, to ensuring a sustainable and long-term advocating environmental action to drive youth development agencies and key solution, it has come up with a “DataBankSA” transformative change. stakeholders from both public and concept. This involves the storing of data The LGYDF will continue to engage with the private sector. bundles from various sectors of society youth in a process of capacity building through to distribute to the youth. This will ensure that the youth, particularly the disadvantaged, The forum will approach the private sector to donate data, engage have access to data for self-empowerment. with the mobile network operators to zero-rate service delivery portals, The aim is to build the capacity of young and challenge municipalities to provide free Wi-Fi as part of the basic people to enable them to take charge of services to communities. their wellbeing.

ISSUE 32 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT 23

SALGA32_Youth Day.indd 23 2020/08/03 11:10 AM Full Page.indd 1 2020/07/13 9:46 AM YOUTH EMPLOYMENT

MEASURES TO IMPROVE THE YOUTH THE LONG VIEW THE LONG UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

To successfully make a dent in the unemployment statistics, youth unemployment should be tackled through an inclusive approach. Levi Letsoko looks into the efforts being made

n his budget speech for the year 2020, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni highlighted the aggressive measures to be implemented by the national government (these included Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator Ithe creation of youth employment centres) in its e ort to curb youth unemployment. The youth are identi ed as a vulnerable group creating partnerships with social enterprises, nonpro t organisations and employment hubs that is more likely to be impacted by to craft opportunities that facilitate a transition for young people into the labour market. economic exclusion if this intervention was Launched in 2011, Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator is a nonpro t social enterprise not immediately implemented. and key local government partner with extensive experience in building solutions and innovations The minister commended the improvements that aim to solve the global youth unemployment challenge. “We tackle the youth unemployment made in successfully increasing the number challenge using data, innovation, partnerships and on-the-ground experience to build pragmatic, of jobs created towards the end of the fourth implementable solutions that produce results,” says Lebo Nke, executive for partnerships quarter of 2019 through the implementation of at Harambee. Job Fund projects. “It’s not easy to help young, economically disenfranchised work-seekers transition into the The statistics for the second quarter of 2020 are labour market when companies are shutting their doors (due to the COVID-19 pandemic). At expected to reveal an increase in unemployment a time like this, we have to continue to uplift young people to ensure resilience and  gures as youth employment initiatives took recovery and provide them with opportunities to build their skills and stay positive,” a knock due to the nationwide lockdown she adds. that imposed economic downtime to avert The unemployment rate was already high before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. with 58 per cent of young people aged between 15 to 34 not being in the workforce by The Local Government Youth Development January 2020. Forum (LGYDF) is a multistakeholder initiative Nke points out that economists predict a dire outcome with the disturbance of the run by the Joint Planning Committee to address educational yearly calender and other obstacles associated with a national lockdown while issues directly impacting the wellbeing of the also emphasising the importance of strengthening the effort of ensuring that young people youth from a local government level. don’t slide further into poverty by remaining locked out of the economy. “As our youth The formation of the forum was aimed become more economically excluded than before, innovative community-based programmes at equipping the youth with the necessary need to be co-ordinated and scaled up for them through practical and strengthened resources while positioning them to lead the partnerships with government and civil society,” she says. process of their development. “We cannot underestimate the role of youth entrepreneurs in creating INNOVATIVE WAYS OF JOB CREATION employment opportunities. Business support must be made available to Local government have spearheaded the them at all times.” – Thapelo Maleke campaign against youth unemployment by

ISSUE 32 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT 25

SALGA31_Youth Entrepreneurship.indd 25 2020/08/03 11:44 AM YOUTH EMPLOYMENT THE LONG VIEW THE LONG

Lebo Nke “We tackle the youth unemployment challenge

using data, innovation, Young people are are able to access free data-lite, mobile education courses and partnerships and on-the-ground job-seeking opportunities through a partnership between Harambee and Funzi. experience to build pragmatic, implementable solutions that produce results.” – Lebo Nke Through a partnership with the Solidarity Fund, National Youth Development Agency, Tshepo 1 Million, Afrika Tikkun, ENKE and more than 240 other partners, Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator has managed to reach ve million young South Africans through multiple channels, “Prior to lockdown, Harambee had paved the including phone calls, SMS, social media, WhatsApp, voice recordings and radio campaigns. way for 160 000 young people into jobs and work experiences with 500 businesses. We had EMPOWERING YOUTH ENTREPRENEURS also provided a range of employment-seeking Earlier in the year, President Cyril Ramaphosa introduced the Presidential Youth Employment support systems to a network of over 700 000 Intervention – a ve-year plan to curb the youth unemployment numbers by creating two young work-seekers.” million jobs for young people. The organisation is currently observing The initiative is aimed at catalysing collaboration between the various stakeholders ways of partnering with civil society units and in government and the youth in working towards identifying solutions to the scourge government to explore and consolidate the facing young people around the country. opportunities available in the South African The LGYDF has led from the front by involving young people in their COVID-19 response informal sector that could lead to viable measures directed at communities around the country and through being vocal about formalised employment for young people after creating smoother transitioning of young people into the labour market. the lockdown. “The LGYDF’s advocacy agenda for municipalities is aimed at ensuring that all Research presented by Harambee indicates vacancies are filled by prioritising youth, women and people with disabilities in the that there are 1.8 million small businesses recruitment of municipal sta . Secondly, municipalities are encouraged to do business with currently operating in the informal sector youth-owned businesses to create employment,” says Thapelo Maleke, chairperson of the LGYDF. and a third of these are youth-owned. The LGYDF strongly believes in the empowerment of young entrepreneurs and their businesses The businesses range from public transport as they are touted as the key role-players in creating job opportunities. services (scholar and taxi transportation) to Some of the stakeholders (aligned with LGYDF) directly involved with youth entrepreneurs township motor mechanic businesses for young include the National Youth Development Agency and Softstart Business and Technology Incubator. men, plus beautician and food vendor services These organisations are tasked with identifying suitable candidates and businesses that can be for young women who have created lucrative nurtured and grown into scalable and fully functional enterprises that can absorb more young opportunities despite their informal trade. people into the labour market through government-led interventions. As a way of mitigating the impact of “We cannot underestimate the role of youth entrepreneurs in creating employment the lockdown on the accelerator’s annual opportunities. Business support must be made available to them at all times. The municipal programme, Harambee has improved some procurement policies must be structured in a manner that prioritises youth-owned businesses,” of their services to reach young people even says Maleke. during the lockdown. Organisations like NYDA and Softstart BTI are not fully capitalised by government. As a result, “We’ve launched a WhatsApp chatbot to help they are prone to nancial challenges. The NYDA receives R400-million, which is not enough to young people to continue learning – young address all of the organisation’s objectives. people who send the word challenge to 087 240 An increased nancial injection is crucial in ensuring that these organisations provide 5122 will receive a daily challenge on WhatsApp,” the necessary resources for entrepreneurs and youth-owned businesses. she explains. “The common challenge for these institutions is that they have limited resources and that “We have also created access to free data-lite, makes it difficult for them to access young people in rural and far areas, which they can’t mobile education courses in futures thinking, reach without maximised resources,” says Maleke. sustainability, entrepreneurship, and job seeking “Their services and programmes only reach young people based in urban areas. That is one through our partnership with Funzi.” obstacle we must address,” he concludes. ▪

26 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUE 32

SALGA31_Youth Entrepreneurship.indd 26 2020/08/03 11:44 AM _ToCheck_fcp.indd 2 2020/02/19 3:56 PM _ToCheck_fcp.indd 2 2019/09/09 2:52 PM MUNICIPAL MATTERS: CITY OF JOHANNESBURG

upliftment initiatives such as the employment of local contractors and labour and the CITY OF use of local suppliers and various skills and development programmes. JOHANNESBURG “We believe that a ordable housing shouldn’t be just about providing shelter. It THE LONG VIEW THE LONG SCOOPS A also has to enhance quality of life, provide opportunities and support dignity,” says Wikus Lategan, chief executive officer of PRESTIGIOUS AWARD Calgro M3. “We are also endeavouring to do as much The City of Johannesburg Housing Department’s as possible to make the running costs of the sustainable efforts towards service delivery led them houses affordable for residents,” adds Lategan. to scoop an iconic international award from the Various green initiatives and energy-saving technologies such as gas for water heating United Nations, writes Lufuno Maboho (geysers) and cooking, solar water heaters, heat pumps and improved insulation are being implemented. Recycling projects, food gardening and urban greening initiatives are currently also being investigated. Besides the green component, the added benefit of these measures will reduce electricity demand by the development and make the township socially and visually more attractive. Calgro M3 will also implement CSI initiatives such as the upgrading of the existing public swimming pool.Buntukazi Xuba, communications o cer at the Housing Department says: “The 6 204 units in the development comprise RDP units, bonded rental units, community residential units and a ordable social housing units. The development is situated along a transport node with access to more job opportunities. South Hills – a low-cost housing development in the south of Johannesburg “The development is not yet complete as it – has been recognised as a global green model community. is constructed in phases. We do, however, have bene ciaries already residing on-site in the he City of Johannesburg (COJ) Housing development partner. The project consists of completed phases,” Xuba explains. ▪ Department won a Sustainable Cities 6 204 residential units, which are projected to and Human Settlements Award at the provide homes to about 32 000 people. United Nations 14th Annual Session of Construction of the upgrade of existing TGlobal Forum on Human Settlement in Ethiopia. bulk and link infrastructure as well as internal IMPORTANT GLOBAL CONGRESS The prestigious award recognised the township infrastructure commenced at the The14th Global Forum on Human South Hills low-cost housing development as end of 2014. More than R121-million was Settlements (GFHS 2019) was held at a global green model community, citing “its invested to upgrade various bulk and internal the United Nations Conference Centre in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is one of outstanding demonstration in promoting infrastructure. This upgrading of infrastructure the most important global congresses sustainable cities and human settlements is uplifting the local and surrounding on the urban agenda, sustainable as well as the implementation of communities, which are bene tting from cities and human settlements. GFHS sustainable development goals”. improved water and sewerage services and 2019’s focus theme was “Sustainable better and more road. These communities Development of Cities and Human THE SOUTH HILLS PROJECT will bene t even further from the Settlements in the Digital Era” and The South Hills project is one of the COJ’s upgrading of existing sports facilities and also supported campaigns on smart premier integrated housing developments. public parks, and the construction of new city and the use of digital technology It is situated 5km south of the Johannesburg schools among others. for inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable cities. CBD. The R2.3-billion tender was awarded The project is also having a positive impact to Standard Bank with Calgro M3 as its on the local community through various

ISSUE 32 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT 29

COJ.indd 29 2020/08/03 11:46 AM MUNICIPAL MATTERS: ELECTRIFYING COMMUNITIES

BIG BUSINESS Mining giant Glencore Mine Operations HELPING LOCAL is investing in the welfare of local communities within the areas in which it THE LONG VIEW THE LONG VILLAGES operates. Lufuno Maboho nds out more

Glencor electri es 300 homes in the Ga-Masha and Ga-Rantho communities in Limpopo.

ining giant Glencore Mine Operations joined forces have made so far. Over the next few months we will continue to roll out more with local government to assist in improving the lives initiatives together with our partners to help our communities through this of communities in rural areas where there is inadequate pandemic,” says Murray Houston, CEO of Glencore Coal South Africa. service delivery. Funding has been assigned to various initiatives including, among others: When the Ga-Masha and Ga-Rantho communities • provision of screening and testing in communities Mlocated in Jane Furse, Pretoria, engaged in protests about the lack of access • supply of water tanks in water-scarce communities to electricity, Glencore Operations South Africa contributed R6- • access to e-learning programmes to support learners while schools million to the villages to provide electricity for 300 families, creating remain closed more than 40 jobs within the community. • mass fabric mask production and distribution Glencore Operations South Africa’s Danie Knoesen says: “Glencore led the • supply of food aid mass distribution of sanitisers and infrared thermometers project that fully electri ed 300 households. In doing so, it has addressed the • provision of mobile toilets most basic needs in the communities. • the roll-out of Wi-Fi hotspots. “The community is immeasurably satis ed. Feedback from local forums, Glencore has also provided hospital equipment such as extra committees, municipal councillors, district municipality and provincial beds and protective personal equipment for health workers to government is all very good and highly positive.” assist local hospitals and clinics in providing adequate healthcare to those aected by the pandemic. ANSWERING GOVERNMENT’S CALL “The COVID-19 pandemic has aected South Africans from all walks of life When President Cyril Ramaphosa called for urgent assistance from corporate and we have made major commitments to help boost the government’s businesses in the country to help curb the spread of COVID-19, Glencore eorts and ease the pressure felt by citizens during this tough period. Now responded once more with a R23-million donation to assist distressed more than ever, our communities need access to basic necessities such as communities aected by the virus clean water, hygiene products and medical equipment to protect them from Most of Glencore’s operations are located in remote areas where there infection. We will continue to do our part in providing these amenities where are limited public resources like healthcare. The mining company’s two possible,” says Glencore Ferroalloys CEO Japie Fullard. major businesses, Coal South Africa and Ferroalloys, adapted their existing “The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented challenge not just for South social investment schemes to address the social needs of communities Africans, but also for the world at large. As a responsible operator, Glencore arising from the spread of the virus.“ As our host communities continue continues to draw inspiration from its values of openness, integrity, safety, to deal with challenges raised by this pandemic, and in line with our ethos responsibility and entrepreneurship to help combat the further spread of of progressing together, it remains our priority to assist with initiatives that this pandemic while also protecting the safety and health of our dedicated truly make a dierence to their lives. We are very proud of the eorts we workforce and our host communities,” he concludes. ▪

30 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUE 32

SALGA32_Glencore.indd 30 2020/08/03 11:50 AM Distribution: November 2020 to selected Sunday Times subscribers in Gauteng, KZN and the Western Cape

Visit us on www.businessmediamags.co.za Project Manager – Jerome van der Merwe Tel: +27(0) 21 469 2485 Cell: +27 82 668 1496| Email: [email protected]

Empowerment Filler.indd 1 2020/07/20 2:53 PM _ToCheck_fcp.indd 2 2019/04/16 10:28 AM MUNICIPAL MATTERS: PARTNERSHIPS

The South African Local Government Association has JOINING FORCES formed a partnership with the Japan International Cooperation TO KEEP THE Agency to curb the shortage of water in local municipalities, TAPS RUNNING reports Lwando Njamela VIEW THE LONG

SALGA together with the Department of Water and Sanitation, the Water Research Commission and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) hosted a session at the Roodeplaat Training Centre on the Non-Revenue Water Training Project.

he South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and However, operating such a training centre unaided is not easy the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) signed a and there are many problems, such as an inadequate number of trainers record of discussions to strengthen the training capacity of the and facilitators with suitable knowledge and experience, and a lack Infrastructure Branch Training Centre (IBTC) on Non-Revenue of equipment. Given these circumstances, there is a need to strengthen Water (NRW), a technical co-operation project. This project will the operations and management capacity of the training programme Tdevelop the operations structure at the IBTC of the Department of Water and using Japanese technical assistance so that practical training, which Sanitation as well as strengthen the training management capacity so that meets the needs of the actual workplace, such as the training provided the IBTC can provide ongoing training in the area of non-revenue water. at the Training and Technical Development Centre can be provided. This is after South Africa struggled to keep the taps running in some “Essentially the project’s purpose is to ensure that NRW management regions of the country. As a result, government provided a plan to reduce skills are developed and utilised in the NRW reduction projects of the current non-revenue water ratio of 34.6 per cent (national average participating municipalities. As part of the project scope, a non-revenue according to a December 2016 survey) of water facilities, but there are water training yard facility was developed at a cost of R1.7-million insu cient engineers/technicians in the water supply sector, and even to train municipalities in bulk meter knowledge (including inow those who are available require further training to develop skills in the area measurement), customer metering (including consumption measurement), of non-revenue water detection. water reticulation infrastructure and appurtenances, data logging, water William Moraka, head of Technology and Innovations at SALGA, says the balance, active leak control and conditional assessment (asset project aims to capacitate municipalities to enhance their skills through skills management),” says Moraka. development training. “Most importantly, to expose municipal o cials to the He concluded by saying that project intake was split into four. Japanese model and approaches in addressing non-revenue water through “The rst intake was the training of eight municipal facilitators, who were theoretical and practical training locally and in Japan. Those municipalities will trained both locally and in Japan. They came from Tshwane, Ekurhuleni, also be exposed to innovative technologies used by the Japanese for leak Cape Town, EThekwini, Bualo City, UGu District, George and Mbombela. detection and repairs.” The second intake was four or ve municipal representatives from Mogale From 2013 to 2015, Japan hosted South African delegates at the Training City, Mopani and uMgungundlovu. The third intake consisted of four to and Technical Development Centre of the Bureau of Waterworks in the Tokyo ve municipal representatives from JB Marks, Mbombela, King Cetshwayo Metropolitan Government. Based on the participants’ favourable impressions and Metsimaholo. The fourth intake was planned for March, but due to and recommendations of the training equipment and other facilities available the COVID-19 pandemic, training was postponed. Municipalities earmarked for practical training, the IBTC was established by the Department of Water and to participate in the fourth intake include Mathole, Ekurhuleni, Sol Plaatjie and Sanitation in 2014 and began a similar training programme in South Africa. Saldanha Bay. ▪

ISSUE 32 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT 33

SALGA32_JICA.indd 33 2020/08/03 11:58 AM SECTION 139 INTERVENTION CALLED INTO QUESTION With many municipalities under administration grappling with expensive legal challenges, service delivery protests and spiralling debt, SALGA and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs question the efficacy of the Constitution’s Section 139 intervention in supporting local government, writes Anél Lewis

The appointment of administrators who are Minister of CoGTA and the National Council of often lacking the requisite skills to work in the Provinces (NCOP) within 14 days. complex environment of local government A Section 139 (1) (c) intervention, which often leaves these municipalities to ounder dissolves the municipality entirely, should with the residents bearing the brunt of poor only be done in “exceptional” circumstances, service delivery and failing infrastructure. says Dodovu, as it challenges the mandate CoGTA and SALGA have respectively of democratically-elected councillors. In raised concerns about the high number this instance, the provincial government is of municipalities with Section 139 required to inform the Minister of CoGTA interventions. Lengthy and costly legal and the NCOP immediately of its intention challenges, service delivery protests, spiralling to dissolve the municipality, with new debt and the breakdown of a democratically elections and the appointment of a new elected council are just some of the council within 90 days. unfortunate consequences for many. Dodovu emphasises that Section 139 is a measure of “last resort” and should only INVOKING A SECTION 139 be considered if there is sucient evidence Section 139 of the Constitution is invoked that the provincial and national government when a provincial government concludes have done all they could to support and China Dodovu that a municipality is not ful lling its strengthen the capacity of the municipality executive obligation, explains Dodovu. to fulfil its functions, as set out in Section 154 Section 139 intervention is This could relate to a breakdown in service (1) of the Constitution. supposed to be a “drastic delivery, poor audit outcomes, irregular action” by a provincial expenditure or the inability to pay suppliers. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE? government only if a While there are ve methods of intervening The constitutional obligation rests with Amunicipality is unable to full its in the running of a municipality, Dodovu says the provincial government and the NCOP executive obligations, says China the most common application is Section 139 is only involved at an advanced stage Dodovu, National Council of Provinces (1) (b) where the municipality’s powers are when a municipality is already in crisis. The chairperson of the Select Committee removed, and an administrator is appointed NCOP plays no part in invoking a Section on Cooperative Governance and until the problem is resolved. This decision 139 intervention, it merely responds when Traditional Aairs (CoGTA). But needs to be approved or refused by the notified. Dodovu says frequently, the instead, these interventions – which strip a municipality of its executive functions – are being invoked on an ad hoc basis or are being used as a “If the provinces were doing their job correctly, they would recognise the tool to address a political agenda. early warning signs that municipalities are not performing well and take the necessary steps to intercede.” – China Dodovu

34 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUE 32

SALGA31_Section 139.indd 34 2020/08/03 11:59 AM POLICY ISSUES: SECTION 139

provincial government falls short of its administrator appointed by the provincial “While there is no doubt that obligation to support weak municipalities government assumes control over all several municipalities face many before invoking Section 139. “If the provinces executive functions, such as financial challenges, and no matter the were doing their job correctly, they would administration, supply chain management support provided, there are cases recognise the early warning signs that and service delivery. The council retains where the application of Section municipalities are not performing well legislative power unless it is dissolved. 139 interventions is necessary, THE LONG VIEW THE LONG and take the necessary steps to intercede,” Ledger and Rampedi point out, but the lack of consistency says Dodovu. however, that there are no guidelines in ensuring that adequate Mbali Mahlobo, Intergovernmental for the minimum requirements for this resources are invested to sustain Relations manager of SALGA, says the administrator, nor is there a detailed frame the intervention is a cause for association has critical roles to play both of reference. The administrator is merely concern.” – Mbali Mahlobo preceding and post Section 139 processes. entrusted with the broad tasking of “fixing” These include: the municipality. • developing common approaches for Dodovu says there may also municipalities be resistance from within its feet after being in a state of • enhancing co-operation, mutual the municipality to nancial neglect. assistance and the sharing of resources accept intervention Also worrying is the among municipalities by the provincial high incidence of “repeat • finding solutions to problems relating to government. “This o enders” – municipalities local government generally defiance – be it a that have been subjected • facilitating support to municipalities refusal to disclose to more than one within the framework of co-operative financial statements intervention, casting doubt governance and co-operation. or, in extreme cases, on the e cacy of the action Mbali the mobilisation of the Mahlobo in the rst place. “It’s clear that CHALLENGES community to prevent the the intervention did not address Mahlobo says the lack of clarity on the administrator from entering the underlying causes,” Ledger and legal framework makes it difficult to council offices – exacerbates the Rampedi conclude. implement a Section 139 intervention municipality’s challenges. Both CoGTA and SALGA agree effectively. Progress updates from the that local government interventions administrator and the provincial government THE AFTERMATH AND THE must be regulated and should have on the status of interventions are also not WAY FORWARD clearly intended objectives. forthcoming. Mahlobo says: “Due to a lack “As a result, the impact of such interventions “While there is no doubt that several of proper monitoring and a regulatory ends up not meeting desired objectives municipalities face many challenges, and framework on reporting, it is difficult to of correcting the failures or turning around no matter the support provided, there are conclude that interventions have been the challenges that led the municipality to cases where the application of Section successful over the years or not.” There are be invoked with Section 139 in the rst place,” 139 interventions is necessary, but the lack often no close-out reports, and it’s mostly says Mahlobo. of consistency in ensuring that adequate unclear why an intervention has ended, or Ledger and Rampedi note that most of the resources are invested to sustain the when an intervention should come to an end. municipalities with Section 139 interventions intervention is a cause for concern,” As a result, some municipalities limp along were left in a state of operational or nancial says Mahlobo. enduring multiple interventions, with no collapse. “Very few of the interventions had CoGTA’s select committee has oversight from the provincial government. a meaningful and sustained impact on called for the nalisation of the In the Public Affairs Research Institute’s 2019 municipal operations or nancial health,” Intergovernmental, Monitoring, Support report Mind the Gap, authors Tracy Ledger they argue. They estimate that it can take ve and Intervention Bill, which will support and Mahlatse Rampedi explain that the to seven years for a municipality to get back on dysfunctional municipalities and avert the need to apply Section 139. The Bill, yet to be tabled in parliament at the time of writing, will also provide guidelines for WHAT THE NUMBERS SHOW oversight reports, says Dodovu. According to SALGA, at the end of June 2020, 36 municipalities were subject to SALGA’s objective is to ensure that Section 139 of the Constitution. These municipalities fell within six of the nine municipalities are sustainable, self-su cient provinces, with the highest concentration being in KwaZulu-Natal and North West. and able to deliver e ective and accountable Research by the Public A airs Research Institute in 2019 revealed that 140 municipalities have been placed under administration in terms of Section 139 governance. Says Mahlobo: “It is in the interest of between 1998 and 2018. Of these, 48 were “repeat o enders” with more than one SALGA to see its members functioning optimally intervention during that period. and ensure that the relevant support is provided so that the municipalities are self-sustainable.” ▪

ISSUE 32 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT 35

SALGA31_Section 139.indd 35 2020/08/03 12:00 PM MUNICIPAL MATTERS: AUDIT REPORT 2018/2019 THE LONG VIEW THE LONG AUDIT OUTCOME The regression in the municipal audit outcomes highlights the need for intensi ed action on extracting accountability and consequence management, writes Tiisetso Tlelima

n its MFMA report released on 1 July municipalities, but there is room for 2020, covering the 2018/2019 nancial improvement and increased support. SALGA’s years, the Auditor-General South Africa’s goal is to transform and develop local (AGSA) municipal audit results show that government. In the last nancial year, it Ionly 20 out of 257 municipalities achieved has adopted actively-driven peer learning clean audits. Forty-three per cent attained as a way to transfer skills. “We have unquali ed audit outcomes and they manage identi ed that municipalities can bene t from over sixty per cent of the overall budget of each other, inspire each other, learn from each local government. other and nd solutions to challenges among In the report, Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu each other,” says Lorgat. “We have facilitated explained that services are rendered and several physical peer learning sessions and goods are delivered to consumers in all with the current COVID-19 circumstances are municipalities with the expectation that Muhammed Lorgat working on developing an online support they will pay for them. Yet there has been portal, which will facilitate online peer learning.” a growing trend of established businesses Over the last three-year period, In addition, the National Executive across the chain showing signs of a R4.27-billion of government expenditure Committee (NEC) of SALGA held a special diminishing ability to pay for these services, was fruitless and wasteful. “Government meeting on 18 June 2020 and resolved to or completely refusing to pay. cannot aord to lose money because of poor communicate directly with mayors and This culture of nonpayment for municipal decision-making, neglect or ineciencies,” accounting ocers of municipalities that have services has resulted in consumer debt Makwetu said. transgressed in terms of relevant legislation of over R181-billion, aecting the ability of Mohammed Lorgat, director of SALGA’s and demand accountability. SALGA also municipalities to pay creditors on time. This Municipal Audit Support Services, concurred calls on municipalities to develop audit amount includes intergovernmental debt of over with the report saying while the poor response plans that will be monitored on R11-billion by government departments. economic climate plays a role in the a quarterly basis. The organisation plans “The inability to collect debt from municipal deterioration of municipalities’ nancial health, to conduct skills assessment in municipal consumers is widespread,” said Makwetu. many are just not managing their nances as nance units as well as getting the relevant “In these circumstances, it is inevitable that well as they should. professional bodies to oversee the professional municipalities will struggle to balance the books. “The potential R1.6-billion loss conduct of senior managers. Overall, 34 per cent of the municipalities of investments made with the VBS Lastly, a multistakeholder audit steering disclosed a de cit – in other words, their Mutual Bank also significantly committee consisting of SALGA, National expenditure exceeded their income. The weakened the financial position of the Treasury and the Department of Cooperative total de cit of these municipalities amounted 16 affected municipalities and had an Governance and Traditional Aairs has been to R6.29-billion.” impact on the delivery of infrastructure formed to monitor the implementation of Makwetu added that the audit oce and maintenance projects.” municipal audit response plans and to ensure continued to see a rise in fruitless and wasteful According to Lorgat, SALGA has that the transgressions are remedied as expenditure with 200 municipalities losing been fulfilling its mandate to support prescribed by the legislation. ▪ R2.07-billion in the current year. The audit outcomes also indicate a deteriorating nancial “we have identified that municipalities can benefit from each other, health status of municipalities with as much inspire each other, learn from each other and find solutions to challenges as 31 per cent of municipalities categorised as among each other.” – Mohammed Lorgat nancially vulnerable.

36 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUE 32

SALGA32_MFMA.indd 36 2020/08/03 12:01 PM _ToCheck_fcp.indd 2 2020/03/23 2:17 PM POLICY ISSUES: A WORD FROM PARLIAMENT

SALGA continues to represent the interests of its member municipalities within the A WORD FROM parliamentary policy-making

THE BULLETIN and oversight processes. PARLIAMENT reports

The National Council of Provinces (NCOP)–one of the two Houses of Parliament – is mandated to look after provincial interests. Lance Joel

ecently, SALGA provided input to local government administration should be has meant that fewer people have money to parliament on three key areas. The professionalised. This means there must be set settle their debts with the municipalities. rst of these, the Municipal Systems criteria for each position as well as behavioural Also, there has been less consumption over Amendment Act of 2011, had expectations from the people appointed to this period, so municipalities are collecting Rbeen declared by the Constitutional Court those positions. less money. It is, therefore, asking a lot to as constitutionally invalid, as the incorrect “We believe that many of the service delivery expect these municipalities to service their parliamentary process was used to pass it. challenges facing local government are due debt with Eskom eectively.” Parliament was unable to meet the 24-month to people bringing politics into the work Finally, SALGA’s representations on the deadline to remedy this and the Systems environment. While the 2011 Act had a clause Division of Revenue Bill – which is how the Amendment Act was declared invalid with eect that placed limitations on allowing senior Finance Minister decides to share the budget from March 2019. managers to hold political oce, we feel that across the various spheres of government Since then, a new Municipal Systems to truly professionalise the local space, this rule – were focused on ensuring local government Amendment Bill has been put forward, should not only apply to senior managers, but receives an equitable share. and the organisation has provided its views also every single municipal employee. Our current “Currently, municipalities receive around on this, says Lance Joel, COO at SALGA. “SALGA discussions so far have indicated that there is a lot nine per cent of the pie, to be split among 257 feels that we have had at least eight years of of traction and support for this proposal,” says Joel. municipalities,” explains Joel. The division is implementation around this, and should thus “SALGA also undertook a presentation to the based on the Local Government Equitable Share ask questions about whether the amendments Select Committee on Appropriations on Eskom Formula, but SALGA views this formula as being introduced in 2011 oered enough value to and was involved in discussions with relevant outdated and no longer in step with the needs warrant bringing them back wholesale, or if we role-players around how to solve the issue of debt of municipalities. Therefore, we have asked for a should only adopt those that worked,” Joel says. owed to Eskom. SALGA’s view is that while we review of the formula. The minister had agreed to “SALGA also raised issues around the principles acknowledge that municipalities owe Eskom discuss this, but the lockdown has also negatively we want the new bill to con rm, notably the for the bulk services they have purchased, aected this process. constitutional authority and autonomy of these municipalities also have enormous “SALGA hopes to have this discussion early local government to appoint senior municipal amounts owed by citizens, government and enough that we will still see some form of managers, and that such appointments businesses for the on-selling of electricity.” expression of this in the mini-budget presented should fall within its ambit of responsibility.“ “While there is general agreement that this issue in October. We feel this is imperative, as Secondly, SALGA also took the stance that needs to be resolved, the COVID-19 lockdown COVID-19 has had a massive impact on municipalities – and being at the coalface “We believe that many of the service delivery challenges facing of service delivery, we believe it is vital local government are due to people bringing politics into the work they receive additional funds to be able to environment. “ – Lance Joel properly respond in the manner expected of them,” he concludes. ▪

38 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUE 32

SALGA32_Word from Parliament.indd 38 2020/08/03 1:16 PM _ToCheck_fcp.indd 2 2020/03/16 3:57 PM IN ACTION: PROFESSIONALISING LOCAL GOVERNMENT

and said that all change, regardless of how global it is, starts with the individual. “We have to accept responsibility and we have to believe in possibilities otherwise any endeavour stops in its tracks.”

THE BULLETIN Technical advisor to the presidential commission on the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) Donalda Pretorius highlighted that the 4IR depended on allowing people and machines Kris to collaborate and create a Dobie values and cultural revolution as Alice Muller well as an industrial one. She said the presidential commission needed to accelerate SA’s response to the 4IR in a way that allows the country to compete globally. “We need to embrace tech as a catalyst to repurpose and re-skill employees because tech is transforming industries faster than we expect,” Pretorius explained. “The 4IR will create more jobs than it destroys: 3.3 million jobs will be disrupted, but 5.5 million jobs will be created by 2030. People and machines will collaborate.” In a panel discussion about PMS for Accountability and ethical leadership are contributing factors municipalities, it was suggested to introduce to the poor performance of municipalities, writes quality systems driven by quali ed sta and to procure a suitable, easy-to-use and accessible etter nancial controls are needed to ensure accountability in municipalities, conference e-PMS system. Panellist Gaobotse Mogosi raised attendees heard at the 3rd annual local government Performance Management Seminar held concerns about the current PMS where she by SALGA in February 2020. found that there was no alignment between The theme for this years’ seminar, which attracted 410 local government stakeholders, organisational and individual performance targets. Bwas titled “Entrenching Accountability and Consequences Management as Levers for High Performing “The manual system was burdensome, les went Municipalities”. The seminar aims to present an opportunity for stakeholders in the local missing and there was noncompliance with government sector to engage with emerging trends, connect with peers, discuss persistent legislation and regulations,” she said. challenges with integrating and executing performance management systems (PMS), and Kris Dobie, ethics and anticorruption specialist, re-energise e orts for accountability through rigorous performance management. said that a local government leadership initiative During her keynote address at the seminar, Alice Muller, acting national audit leader: Auditor-General had been launched and that the ethics survey South Africa, told delegates that over the past decade, the nancial health of municipalities had been done in the seminar was part o f the information- deteriorating. There had been a lack of service delivery, irregular and wasteful expenditure, and people gathering process. He mentioned the importance were not being held accountable for transgressions and poor performance. of ethical leadership because it links to the To turn this around, Muller suggested that preventative controls be put in place before money challenges currently facing local government. leaves the bank. “The cost of not having preventative controls leads to nancial loss, high costs of “If we have ethical people and an ethical investigation, disciplinary action costs, low morale and productivity, and litigation costs,” she explained. organisation, we’re building a good country,” “The solution is to put the right people in the right place and ensure that controls happen daily with said Dobie. “To develop an ethical organisation, adequate documentation.” we need to look at the organisational culture. Life coach Bonsai Shongwe outlined three Ps that PMS need to consider to achieve performance The majority of people want to do the right inspiration: people, process and perspective. “Perspective assists in seeing the vision, people and thing; however, they change behaviour process,” said Shongwe. He demonstrated that suggestion is often more powerful than knowledge, according to the organisation they are in.” Dobie said it was important to have ethical leaders because when leaders do the right “To develop an ethical organisation, we need to look at the thing, employees follow. Getting rid of negative or organisational culture. The majority of people want to do the right unethical leaders or employees is paramount and thing; however, they change behaviour according to the organisation one way of building an ethical organisation. Dobie they are in.” – Kris Dobie added that a code of ethics will be rolled out to all municipalities by 2024. ▪

40 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUE 32

SALGA32_Proffesssionalism.indd 40 2020/08/03 12:12 PM _ToCheck_fcp.indd 2 2019/06/27 3:57 PM _ToCheck_fcp.indd 2 2020/02/26 12:16 PM IN ACTION: ASSET MANAGEMENT

ASSET MANAGEMENT’S ROLE AND IMPORTANCE IN THE SPOTLIGHT THE BULLETIN SALGA, in partnership with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, hosted its first asset management summit as part of the Building Inclusive Green Municipalities project, reports Helen Neale-May

infrastructure that provides basic services must be protected no matter what the circumstance. The lack of asset management among municipalities was evident. Challenges in terms of implementation were noted: • fragmented asset management support (how to align) • non-revenue water • noncompliance BIGM delegates at the asset management summit. • Provision for asset management and maintenance, for example, Eskom he asset management summit, held in report on the implementation of the Building • leadership (are councillors aware and March, was hosted at the International Inclusive Green Municipalities (BIGM). The project understand their role?). Convention Centre in East London. The began in November 2016 in the Eastern Cape focus of the summit was on mapping and involves municipal partnerships between the THE ROLE OF THE FCM Tmunicipal asset management while district municipalities of Mbizana, Port St Johns, Michael Burt of the FCM said that the FCM’s core integrating climate change, with a strong King Sabata Dalindyebo, Ngqushwa, Ndamble and mandate is to advocate on behalf of municipalities emphasis on preparing for a digital future Kouga and the Nelson Mandela Bay and Bu alo and to ensure the federal policy and programmes and preparing the groundwork for successful City metros. meet the needs of the governments. He said transitions. The summit was intended primarily municipal-owned assets have one purpose: for municipalities to engage with one another ASSETS, FINANCE AND LEGISLATION ensuring service delivery to support residents and their international partners from Canada. Mohammed Lorgat, director of SALGA’s Municipal in living safe, prosperous and ful lling lives. Audit Support Programme (MASP) said that “It is important to recognise that managing OPENING ADDRESS assets represent the largest value balance on all assets is a team e ort. It’s not about  nance, Helen Neale-May, mayoral committee member, any municipality’s  nancial statements. They are operations, engineering, planning, or even elected Bu alo City Municipality, delivered the opening directly linked to the provision of service delivery o cials alone. Everyone must work according address in which she emphasised that every and impact the quality of that service delivery. to the same basic principles. While municipal municipality in the country is faced with the Assets are also directly linked to administrators can develop cost estimates same challenges in terms of climate revenue generation and for delivering service, it is the elected o cials who change, asset management and play a signi cant role in decide on the level of service to be o ered and who the increasing demand for new the nancial health need to derive the means to  nance that delivery,” infrastructure. She stressed that of municipalities, Burt said. asset management is important therefore, they need to and by investing in existing and be properly managed. GREEN MUNICIPAL FUND new infrastructure, economic He said that many Andy Wardell, general manager, Finance and chief growth will be enabled. James municipalities do not  nancial o cer at District of North Vancouver, Matsie have an infrastructure focused on the opportunities for funding through STATUS UPDATE asset management the Green Municipal Fund. He explained the ON THE BIGM system in place and, funding process, the types of funding and funding Marshall Gallardo, programme therefore, legislative allocations, saying that funding is available to manager, Federation of Canadian requirements are not being met. support adaptation action, planning, training Municipalities (FCM), and Tebogo Matlou, James Matsie, specialist: Infrastructure and resources for municipal work that addresses project manager, SALGA, presented a status Finance, said according to legislation, climate change. ▪

ISSUE 32 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT 43

SALGA32_BIGM.indd 43 2020/08/03 12:09 PM IN ACTION: INTERNATIONAL NEWS

AN OPPORTUNITY BULL ETI N

E TO BRING H T EQUALITY TO THE CENTRE OF THE AGENDA The COVID-19 outbreak has exacerbated many of the faults that we already knew were present in our world. But, it also brings the promise of positive change and hope, writes

United Cities and Local Governments (UCLG) presidency meeting that took place on April 20, 2020 was attended by nine members of the presidency, including co-president Thembisile Nkadimeng, SALGA’s president and the mayor of Polokwane. AIn her contributions, Nkadimeng said: “The COVID-19 pandemic a ects all people, but its e ects are not felt equally among all people. Globally, women are experiencing exacerbated impacts in terms of security, workload as carers and health-related issues.” Thembisile Nkadimeng Local and regional governments from all around the world have come together in a display of solidarity and political will with SALGA members sharing their experiences and visions over the past months. The challenges multilateral system that can ensure this shift and help the world in the protection of basic service delivery and the real situations on the overcome global problems as one. And, it calls for culture to be put ground have inspired the UCLG decalogue for the post-COVID-19 era – a at the heart of human development, declaring it the antidote for the document envisioned and shaped by the presidency and the membership consequences of this crisis. of UCLG. It aims to guide the UCLG’s advocacy in these times of crisis. It will also inform the UCLG’s contributions to the call of the United Ten transformative actions outline the steps to revamp the Nations’ Secretary-General to dene the world we want in 2045 at the international system and how it interacts with communities. The actions commemoration of the UN 75th anniversary. Ironically, this happens in the are aimed at protecting those who need it the most and, ultimately, year in which for the rst time in history, due to the pandemic, the UN General strives to ensure that the sacrices communities are undertaking during Assembly will not gather the Heads of State in New York. the pandemic and in the immediate aftermath do not become a burden The UCLG is committed to building on the strong network of on future generations. women and men from all over the world who are supporting equality The decalogue underpins the need to guarantee public services to foster transformation and ensure that its equality-driven movement and the protection of common goods; it challenges the current continues ourishing. unsustainable models of consumption and calls for proximity A Call to Action for Women’s Leadership in the post-COVID-19 era has been production models that consider local producers and re-evaluating models launched by UCLG Women asking for women’s voices from all generations of consumption and production. It also calls for the full inclusion of all to be amplied and to contribute to achieving generation equality that can people and to do so by protecting those who care for communities and respond to the needs of our communities. Women and men from all those that need special protection. spheres of governments are being called to help achieve true The decalogue pledges full equality among men and women. It gender equality. The UCLG has pledged to support its members around acknowledges the importance of women’s leadership and does not the world with SALGA and South African cities, provincial and local consider it an exception. It also makes a signicant call for a stronger governments at the forefront. ▪

The decalogue pledges full equality among men and women. It acknowledges the importance of women’s leadership and does not consider it an exception.

44 VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ISSUE 32

SALGA32_International News.indd 44 2020/08/03 12:05 PM Full Page.indd 1 2020/07/20 2:21 PM ToCheck_FP.indd 2 2020/07/10 10:28 AM