Parliament, Friday, 16 April 2021 – The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) yesterday received a briefing from the South African Local Government Association (Salga) on its 2021/22 Annual Performance Plan (APP).
Yesterday’s meeting was a continuation of a series of engagements on the 2021/22 Annual Performance Plans of the departments and entities reporting to the committee. Among the issues that the committee has picked up is that the APP highlights some critical gaps that continue to impede SALGA from maximising its impact in terms of the support provided to municipalities.
One example is the lack of legal provisions for extending Section 106 and Section 71 reports to Salga, which deprives the organisation of critical data that could be used to inform rigorous planning. This anomaly, particularly given the gaps in relation to the implementation of Section 106 recommendations by municipalities, as well as the use of Section 71 reports as early warning mechanisms, needs to be addressed. A statutory role for Salga in these critical accountability mechanisms is crucial. The Chairperson of the committee, Ms Faith Muthambi, said the “committee will support the call for legal provisions to extend the Municipal Systems Act’s Section 106 and the Municipal Finance Management Act’s Section 71 reports to Salga”.
She further highlighted the critical matter in the APP which relates to the general economic decline in many towns due to deceleration of output in the mining, manufacturing and agricultural sectors. Two months ago the comittee started a series of engagements on issues of local economic development and small town regeneration. This began with a discussion on Salga’s Small Town Regeneration Programme, including a case study on the organisation’s Small Town Regeneration Project for the Karoo Region.
The committee noted the APP’s reference to the underutilisation of infrastructure in mining towns and agricultural or farming communities and how this misses a potential revenue-generation opportunity towards vibrant local economies. The committee views this as a serious and urgent matter, and it will pursue this with all the relevant stakeholders over the committee’s remaining term of office. Salga responded that it will lobby for an infrastructure grant to assist small towns and rural municipalities.
The committee noted that there were a number of cases with the National Prosecuting Authority and Special Investigating Unit and it wanted to know from Salga what was being done to hold members accountable who had conflicting interests. The committee was informed that Salga had no power to hold municipalities accountable. The Chairperson advised Salga that it was time to put a Code of Conduct in place for all its members.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON COOPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS, MS FAITH MUTHAMBI.
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Name: Sureshinee Govender
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E-mail: sugovender@parliament.gov.za
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