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Local governments have the most direct impact on the quality of people's lives. The Democratic Alliance has a vision of a system of local government that is businesslike and financially prudent, and yet community focused and service-orientated, and which will provide a healthy economic, social, cultural and physical environment for all citizens.
Municipalities should be governed using the Executive Committee System, as opposed to the Executive Mayoral System. The Executive Committee system, in combination with a system of Portfolio Committees, will ensure that power is not centralised in one person and that all residents are represented in the key decision-making bodies. All portfolio, executive committee and council meetings will be open to the public and media.
"Service before Status" is the principle that must govern the work of the DA's councillors. The DA will take steps to ensure that its councillors perform according to the highest standards by:
- Training our councillors
- Channelling adequate resources and assistance to local government.
The DA will adopt a number of progressive policies to benefit the poorest of the poor:
- Free basic services
- Rates exemptions for the indigent
- Helping the homeless.
The function of a municipality is not only to ensure that services are supplied to the community, but also to ensure that their cities are attractive, lively and prosperous. This will involve:
- Creating jobs
- Stopping crime
- Building communities that work
- Having reliable public transport
- Providing primary health care for all.
The DA is committed to getting local governments to improve their performance. This means finding ways to avoid waste, duplication and inefficiency. Privatisation, outsourcing, decentralisation and greater use of technology will be keys to this.
To make local government services more accessible, the DA will establish one-stop municipal offices where:
- Residents can have all their queries attended to, whatever the nature of the query. They will be open when it is convenient for residents to come into the office.
- Investors will be able to get all relevant information about investment opportunities, licensing, land use and planning approval under one roof.
Local government is in a financial crisis. The DA insists that functions may only be devolved to local government if they are linked to funding.
The DA is committed to keeping rates as low as possible. It will balance the need to provide equitable municipal services to all with the need to ensure the long-term sustainability of the system. It will also ensure that the property rates system is reasonable, fair and transparent.
To address the problem of non-payment, the DA will:
- Improve legislative enforcement measures to place rates service charges in the same position as income tax
- Make maximum use of pre-paid meters and other mechanisms to prevent non-payment
- Take a tough line against local authorities that insist on high levels of services that communities cannot afford
- Outsource credit control where municipalities have insufficient capacity to carry it out themselves.
Traditional leadership structures are in place within many South African municipalities. Local governments need to recognise these structures, and the social organisation they are based on, without compromising the general principles of democratic representation and accountability.
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