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Editorial Comment

Local government : Turnabout time

The violent demonstrations of municipal residents in the Eastern Free State, sparked with the death of a youth at Maluti-a-Phofung Local Municipality (based at Harrismith) and spreading to the Phumelela (Vrede) and Dihlabeng (Bethlehem) Municipalities, are but the proverbial ears of the hippopotamus. Joblessness, poverty and uncontrolled squatting are widespread in the Free State and on the primary level where action should be taken, namely at local government level, little and often nothing is done.
Now mix this, miserable service delivery and often abject living conditions with flamboyant salaries of municipal officials and councillors and you get the recipe for a revolution. The picture gets even worse when one considers that a year ago total outstanding municipal debt in SA amounted to R22 billion - an amount which is still growing.
In March 2003 a report on SA's rural municipalities by the Centre for Development and Enterprise came to some shocking conclusions, inter alia that : “Integrated development plans are impractical wish lists because of lack of funds, expertise and management.” Also : “New staff appointments have been the order of the day, with many based political patronage. In the Free State tention has developed between elected councillors and longer-serving municipal staff, leading to local government virtually breaking down,” according to the report.
When a municipal manager or a mayor gives him- or herself a salary rise of R110 000 per year to reach more than a R1 000 per day for every day of the year, while for many a local resident R1 000 per year is a lot of money, then that manager or mayor needs to be at the receiving end of stone-throwing.
The Free State Business Bulletin is firmly on the side of the demonstrators.

Vrystaat vol geleenthede

Soos uit hierdie uitgawe van die Vrystaat Sake Bulletin blyk, is die Vrystaat vol sake-en ontwikkelingsgeleenthede. By verre die meeste hiervan kom uit die geledere van die private sektor - gewone mense wat die stang vasbyt en skitterende entrepreneurs word. Ons sê aan hulle : Doet so voort !
Wat nodig is in die provinsie, is sterker politieke leierskap om al die stukragte in die provinsie saam te snoer tot een omvattende ontwikkelingspoging wat die Vrystaat sal laat uitstyg om sodoende beter lewensomstandighede te skep vir alle inwoners.