SA municipalities are dysfunctional due to poor governance: President

President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed concern about local governments’ poor performance.  As he delivered his State of the Nation Address at City Hall in Cape Town, on Thursday, he acknowledged that many of South Africa’s municipalities are dysfunctional.

“Too many of our municipalities, 163 out of 257 are dysfunctional or in distress due to poor governance, ineffective and sometimes corrupt financial and administrative management and poor service delivery,” he says.

The President has announced government interventions to address the challenges at the local level.

“These include enhancing the capacity of public representatives and officials, maintaining and upgrading local infrastructure, and invoking the powers of the national government to intervene where municipalities fail to meet their responsibilities.”

He also adds that skilled workers will be hired to improve the country’s service delivery.

“A professional public service, staffed by skilled, committed and ethical people, is critical to an effective state and ending corruption, patronage and wastage. “