We are not strangers to municipal incompetence in South Africa.
Whether it’s potholes left to grow into pool-sized holes, or water and electricity infrastructure left to deteriorate, creating cesspools and blackouts, we have all had cause at some point to curse the institution that is local government, no matter which party is in charge of your council.
For Durbanites, this week’s reason to curse eThekwini came courtesy of the ANC’s bulldozing through exco an electricity tariff hike of 14.59%, coupled with 8.5% increases for water and sanitation, and 4.9% for rates and refuse.
I doubt anybody would complain if we received value for the money we pay, but we don’t, do we?
And coming amid job losses and salary reductions occasioned by the Covid pandemic, it is difficult to comprehend how the ANC could say that it understood the difficulty residents faced, but nevertheless believed the tariffs were justified and that the people could afford it.
Having been floored by this doublespeak, the kick in the teeth came from the auditor-general’s report on the state of municipal finances around the country.
Among the highlights, the A-G found municipalities wasted R26 billion in irregular expenditure, R14.4bn in unauthorised expenditure ‒ in many cases both being euphemisms for fraud and corruption ‒ and R1bn on the use of consultants to compile financial statements (one wonders what city treasurers do for their living).
We would all do well to remember these numbers at the next local government elections, whenever they are held.
The Independent on Saturday