Durban - Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma on Monday said service delivery can only work if there is responsible politicians and their ethical leadership.
Dlamini Zuma was speaking at the Durban International Convention Centre seminar on good governance and accountability. Only a combination of responsibility and ethics will be able to ensure stability in councils and seamless service delivery, she said.
“Accountability challenges persist, including poor communication with communities, lack of transparency, weak or ineffective ward committees, weaknesses in areas such as municipal financial management, including poor audit outcomes, revenue and expenditure management, lack of political will and poor leadership, as well as political interference and patronage, all of which affect negatively the pursuit of building a functional and developmental local government.”
Dlamini Zuma said an ideal local government must meet people’s most pressing needs.
“The government I have the honour to lead, and I dare say the masses who elected us to serve in this role, are inspired by the single vision of creating a people-centred society. Accordingly, the purpose that will drive this government shall be the expansion of the frontiers of human fulfilment, the continuous extension of the frontiers of freedom. The acid test of the legitimacy of the programmes we elaborate, the government institutions we create, the legislation we adopt must be whether they serve these objectives.”
She said people require a government that works not just for the people but with the people and who should be seen as active participants of their own development and destiny.
“In this regard, an ideal municipality is therefore one in which the residents and citizens belong and can attest happiness.
“The greatest challenge to good governance and accountability in many municipalities is the instability brought about by the interface between political, administrative, and business realms. Therefore, we must strengthen the role of key governance and oversight institutions such as the Municipal Public Accounts Committees (MPACSs), whilst delineating the executive, oversight, and administrative roles in the municipalities.”
She said that more needs to be done and not only to focus on the criminal justice system as the only means through which accountability is pursued.
“There is an urgent need, therefore, to ramp up the work already being done, including ensuring more transparency and civil society involvement.”