INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS – THE UDM APPROACH (01 JULY 2000)
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This document was prepared with special reference to the debates on the current state of affairs in local and national government. In compiling this document we looked at our policies on local government, adopted in 1998 NASREC National Conference. Our structures should be able to use this document to engage in these debates and to adopt parts of it to develop flyers, slogans and even position papers suited to particular situations that our members are involved in. Your contributions to the further development of this document are important because it is our collective effort that will accelerate the building of our party and ensure its prospects to run local government in our communities. This document should be read in conjunction with the UDM guidelines on local government .
It is argued in this document that the national consensus on the structure, powers and boundaries of local government, which the government claim exists is superficial and does not emanate from the choice of all South Africans. A close scrutiny of our democratic transition in the sphere of local government reveals major differences and tensions between the rural and urban community expectations/needs vis–a–vis government strategy for meeting those expectations/needs.
Given the prevalence of historic inequalities between the urban and rural communities, which resulted from the apartheid system of social engineering and the impact this has on the disadvantaged majority of South Africans, the UDM believes that the debate on local government should be approached as a national issue of importance, that precedes and transcends the forthcoming local government elections. While noting the importance of the existing White Paper on local government, it cannot be denied that the mainstream of South Africans have no clue what the document is about because they have not been consulted. This situation is compounded by the fact that even in the limited elite consultation that takes place, party loyalists dominated it. Thus the process is not owned by those it is intended to serve. The question of rural development is a vexed one in South African politics because the legacy of past colonial/apartheid administrations had been to exclude the rural areas from the mainstream of the economy by relegating them to the backwaters of cheap labour reservoirs. This approach resulted in the skewed and uneven development, which concentrated infrastructure and resources in the major metropolitan centres where the primary and secondary mining and manufacturing sectors respectively are based. The government white papers gloss over the question of rural development without dwelling, on the details of the administrative modalities which will make rural development possible. The current debate on rural municipal demarcations has brought to the surface a lot of questions, which have not been answered when the decisions on demarcations were taken. It also exposes the lack of adequate and clear consultation on the role and powers of Traditional Authorities in the rural areas, with regard to control of areas in which, development must take place, and their scope and capacity in the facilitation of development in the areas of their jurisdiction. The ruling party and its allies contend that the demarcation of primary municipalities is cast in stone because it emanates from a constitutional provision concerning local government. They also argue that this was a consequence of agreements reached at Codesa. If this is true, the unanimous rejection of municipal boundaries demarcation in rural areas by the traditional leaders, testifies to a collective lack of information and knowledge about those Codesa agreements, which can only mean there was no adequate consultation with the traditional leaders, on such and important issue, which impacts on their powers and roles in the areas of their jurisdiction. Neither is there clarity on the administrative roles of municipal local government and traditional leaders structures on developmental activities on land under the jurisdiction of these leaders. There is a pervasive duality of power and control in the rural areas, between elected and traditional structures, with a strong bias in favour of elective rural structures, which is perceived by the traditional leaders as a surreptitious ruse by the government to gradually erode their power and role, in the areas of their jurisdiction, to a point where these traditional institutions, will be rendered extinct. If these perceptions are justified and the government, on objective analyses is seen to be viewing traditional authorities as archaic (outdated) and should give way to modern elective democratic structures, then this is a matter, which must be debated openly, with all role players in particular the traditional leaders and the people who live in their areas of jurisdiction and who subscribe to the institution of traditional leadership. It is hardly fair to engage in furtive deceptive manoeuvres to erode the traditional institutions as this undermines the trust and the confidence the rural communities have reposed in the government. The solidarity and aspiration of the people of our country in their historic defeat of the oppressive apartheid regime was fuelled by the belief in and the desire for the redistribution of the resources of our country to empower the suffering people and communities in meeting their basic needs. It was their desire which formed the basis for demanding the restructuring of the institutional framework which had for centuries been maintained by force, i.e. the material and social imbalances in our society. In practical terms the demand for restructuring should focus on the need to address the imbalances in the distribution of resources between urban and rural communities, the equitable and efficient provision of rural services such as proper housing, water, sanitation, electricity, sustainable land reforms and community infrastructural development. It was because of declared commitments to these social demands that the ANC was able to receive overwhelming support in the 1995 local government elections. With great power and enthusiastic support from the people of those who knew poverty in their lives, the ANC launched the Reconstruction and Development Programmes (RDP) as a vehicle for responding to these needs. It was not long before the ANC elite’s decided overnight to abandon the RDP strategy for addressing the needs of the poor and adopted without proper consultation, the GEAR policy through which the government has seen fit to renege on the promises and commitments it had made to those who brought it into power. In both, urban and rural communities the current condition is that of infrastructural collapse, rising crime and unemployment rates, lack of economic growth and institutional collapse in such critical social areas as health and education. In the urban areas we witness the proliferation of informal settlement structures without due consideration to environmental and town planning standards. The total neglect of the requirements for integrated economic development in the planning and construction of residential areas undermine proper planning for roads, transportation and efficient social service delivery.
The inability of government to collect rent despite the much-publicised Masakhane Campaign, which was intended, to address the debt burden inherited from the apartheid era, has failed dismally. The culture of payments of rent, which the campaign had hoped to inculcate, is not realisable and this is the reality that our government must admit.
The UDM strategy on this matter is that the communities must be involved in a national Indaba for the discussion of the inherited debt. This is an issue of national importance because most people have already been blacklisted in credit bureaus and the government has not been able to intervene on their behalf despite pre-election assurances in 1994/5, that this was a government priority. The suffering of black listed individuals is exacerbated by the fact that the black listing at credit bureaus affects all aspects of the affected individual’s financial dealings. It should be recalled that the ANC was the first to wage an intense national campaign for the non-payment of rent. It must therefore accept the moral responsibility for the negative consequence of its campaign and take corrective steps. The ANC was elected into power precisely because the electorate believed that the ANC government would address this issue. The failure of the Masakhane campaign is a clear declaration that the ANC has failed to address the legitimate expectations of their own creation. This situation is further compounded by the fact that the same ANC government was quick and swift in writing off the R800 million Namibian and R50 million Mozambican debts incurred during the Apartheid era. A serious debate and inclusive decision on this rent debt will place our communities on a fresh and clean start in their attempt to access loans from the banks. Obviously, the banks are more than likely to be enthusiastic and supportive if new funding applications are not clouded by the politics of the past. If the UDM is elected into any municipalities it will as a first step force the national government to lead in this matter by accepting the responsibility to take bold steps in calling for inclusive discussion on solving the problems of accumulated debt, which was created for political expediency by the present ruling party. We believe that the government has failed in its efforts to address this problem because it has not consulted with affected communities. The UDM is convinced that the governments style of sidelining relevant stake holders when it takes decisions has not only undermined its own policies but contradicts its own declared commitment to transformation and democratisation. It was for this reason that one of the stakeholders decided to challenge government on its position regarding the role and powers of traditional leaders on local government issues. It would be naïve and folly to imagine that traditional leaders have no constituencies, but merely represent themselves.
The prevalent culture in the present municipal administration is that of inefficiency and corruption, which emanate from the partisan orientation of councils. This had led to the total neglect of codes of conduct in various aspects of service delivery administration. The UDM policy is that anyone elected to a local government structure must service the needs of the entire community with impartiality and sensitivity to the highest standards of efficient administration. This is extremely important because institutional chaos and non-accountability in various areas of the public sector derives from the subordination of standard administrative norms and practises to the interests served by a corrupt and unofficial network of operations, at the expense of ordinary citizens whose interest are neglected and disregarded.
In general, the problems facing local government differ from province to province, city to city and from one area to another in the rural communities. Despite these variations there is a general pattern of factors underlying inefficiency and non-accountability in local government. This situation has been compounded by the poor calibre of councillors and support staff put in office for political reasons. It is common knowledge that most of local government officers lack appropriate skills and training to run their departments efficiently. Below is a list of the most serious factors responsible for poor local government under the ANC government:
a)Poor roads especially in rural areas.
b) Deteriorating dipping tanks (not maintained).
c) Poor clinic services (no medicines).
d) No personnel in clinics.
e) Deteriorating schools.
f) Unsafe roads (unplanned and uncontrolled residential settlements close to national roads).
g) Lack of financial controls.
h) Lack of adequate maintenance services (leads to dirty towns and cities).
i) Infighting amongst ANC councillors.
j) Political power struggles between SANCO and ANC councillors.
k) Political patronage as condition for accessing services.
l) Lack of accountability.
m) Lack of financial controls.
n) Failure to promote small business enterprises especially hawkers and Independent micro-businesses.
o) Lawlessness and crime.
p) Lack of protection for aged and weak.
q) Undermining of traditional leaders.
r) Unfair urban bias in development, especially in resource allocation.
s) Lack of public transport.
t) Unilateral policies on taxi industry without proper consultation with stakeholders in the industry.
u) Environmental policies not enforced especially around waste management and pollution issues.
v) Lack of institutional co-ordination and community consultation in SDI’s (Spatial Development Initiatives).
w) Misuse of funds earmarked for poverty relief programmes.
x) Widespread corruption and nepotism.
– Lack of discipline.
– Corruption in allocation of sites.
– Corruption in tendering process.
– Corruption in employment.
– Corruption in allocation of houses.
y) Millions spent on consultants.
z) Inflated salaries for councillors.
aa) Poor quality of councillors with no skills or adequate education.
bb) Lack of health services.
cc) Local authorities are bankrupt.
The distribution of resources between the urban and rural communities is inequitable. The government seems to still adhere to the apartheid uneven developmental patterns which concentrated resources in urban communities while relegating the rural areas to economic backwaters of neglect, impoverishment and unemployment. In the housing sector there is a clear unequal distribution of resources because the housing policy and its subsidy schemes focuses on urban dwellers and excludes the other tax payers who are the rural dwellers. Although we appreciate that annexed rural areas by urban municipalities will benefit in the short term, it must be pointed out that the national government has no long-term national strategy for development in the rural areas. The present approach creates the impression that unannexed rural communities will not benefit from local government resource allocation and service deliveries. However, the truth of the matter is that people in rural communities need water, roads, sewerage systems and electricity etc etc. Government has not been able to provide answers to all the question arising from the proposed annexation of rural communities to municipalities to which they are adjacent.
The questions are:
a) Will the government provide the necessary infrastructure in the annexed territories, which will be comparable to the existing one in the municipal area to which they are annexed?
b) How does the government address the perception of the people in the proposed annexed territories that they will be used to beef up the ailing finances of the village boards which are responsible for the general decline and rot in these small rural towns?
c) How does the government respond on the other hand to the fears of the urban municipal dwellers, who believe that they will be taxed to provide financial resources for the up-grading of the annexed undeveloped territories.
All these questions give credence to the contention that government makes far-reaching decisions unilaterally in the corridors of power without proper consultation with relevant stakeholders.
Property tax rates as proposed by government are exorbitant and are beyond the capacity of property owners to pay in an economically depressed environment, which is not generating local revenue. The poor services rendered or the absence of services in the rural municipal areas does not justify the high taxes and inflated rates already charged to property owners. The inevitable consequence of property ownership costs in these areas will be leasing them out (as is happening) to ex-patriate retail businesses at the risk of the deterioration of the properties concerned and their eventual depreciation.
The land tenure system of usufractory (land allocated for use only not ownership) communal land ownership in the rural areas does not lend itself to taxation and rates charges on the basis applicable to municipal area. While we accept in principle the concept of people paying for services, such services must be real and identifiable. The taxes charged must reflect the value of the services rendered. This will be a wholly novel idea in the rural areas. Proper discussions and planning must take place before taxes are levied in those areas. Through a carefully designed Government Communication strategy an impression has been created that there is broad understanding and consensus on the white paper on local government. However, the reality is that there is confusion and lack of clarity on the long-term implications for different stakeholders. It is for this reason that the UDM in its campaign during the forthcoming local government elections will call for a national Indaba to draw up a proper local government policy which will inter-alia address the following:
a) Accumulated debt as a result of rent boycott.
b) National plan on effective rural and urban development.
c) National plan on resource distribution.
d) National economic policy revival.
e) Acceptable local government demarcations.
f) Implications of property tax.
Further, white paper formulations must be preceded by an indaba consultative framework in which the interests of all stakeholders are properly tested and balanced.
The UDM must explain to the people of South Africa that the current economic policy which promotes jobless growth will not advance our people. Lack of sustainable economic growth affects the general infrastructural development, which would have created thousands of jobs. The implications of this pattern of these economic policies is that the lofty ideas contained in the white papers will never be effective unless they are tied to an acceptable economic growth.
The IEC is in the process of establishing electoral offices countrywide. Matters related to elections such as rules, establishment and manning of polling stations, voter registration, monitoring of elections etc., etc. will be discussed at meetings which are likely to be held at these offices. It is important that our members at all levels, familiarise themselves with the IEC programmes, so that attempts by the ANC and its allies to manipulate the electoral process in their favour as they did in the last year’s election are exposed with valid evidence.
It is very important that suitable UDM members in good standing and fully familiar with the political terrain of their localities be recruited to operate as party agents. There is no denying the fact that one of the contributing factors to not so good performance in the last elections is that young and inexperienced people were used as party agents. It was a mistake to expect young children to monitor the activities of mature and experienced ANC party agents who for the most part had the advantage of holding formal positions of authority in society either as parents, teachers etc, etc. We learn from our mistakes by engaging in self-criticism that is constructive and open. We must therefore express our gratitude to the hundreds of those young UDM party agents who despite lack of experience volunteered to monitor the elections for our party all over the country. The most important element in our challenge in the forthcoming elections is the quality of our candidates. It is therefore important to identify and recruit quality candidates for our party. We must bear in mind that in terms of government approach in running local government, skilled candidates will be required to run administration efficiently. If we do not have candidates who qualify in our own ranks we must not hesitate to go out and bring new recruits if they have the requisite skills and accept our vision and mission. But people must realise that we are not in the intellectual game here because there are competent individuals with mobilising skills, and good records in discipline and non-corruptibility. We cannot sideline these people because they have no academic qualifications.
The breakdown of our demographics suggests that we stand a good chance to target both rural and urban communities. We must utilise the mixed character of our membership to strategically identify candidates in every ward. Our vision and mission confirm the non-racial character of our party because from the very onset we declared that the UDM is the political home of all South Africans.
Therefore our character as a party places us in a strategically advantageous position compared to other parties who are now scrambling to enter into marriages of convenience in order to bet on a wicket of racism in the forthcoming election.
It is the UDM ‘s view that despite the numerous flaws we have identified in the government’s local government policy formulation there is realism in contesting the forthcoming local government elections. A boycott of these elections would be a retrogressive step and not in the interest of our country. We will improve the condition of our people by participating on our own and offering our followers a real and innovative alternative in contrast to the current crisis management system of local government we witness today, in several provinces. Our participation in the forthcoming local government elections will be guided by the Vision, Mission and Aims which underline our local government policy as outlined below:
VISION
To participate fully in legitimate, democratic, accountable and community driven local government through co-operative governance, ensuring optimal utilisation of resource in order to improve the quality of life of all residents/stakeholders/ communities.
MISSION
Uniting communities at the local sphere of government by stimulating and creating a stable and orderly environment for growth and development, the rendering of equitable, sustainable and cost-effective services and eradicate poverty and imbalances in communities. This will be achieved through optimal consultation and co-operation with all stakeholders without bias to either the rural or urban areas and in consultation with traditional leaders where they exist.
AIMS
The UDM strives to create an environment on local government level that is acceptable to every citizen. This will be achieved through:
– Democratic participation.
– Culture of non-partisanship and political tolerance.
– Optimal utilisation of resources managed in a cost effective way.
– Sustainable economic development.
– Multiparty structures and maximum participation of all citizens.
– Efficient and cost effective service delivery.
– Establishment of a pure fiscal policy.
– Commitment to elimination of apartheid era community racial boundaries and the integration of all.
– Residential areas.
– Establish transformation linkages between various residential areas and business centres in order to encourage business enterprise development in poor communities.
– Commitment to safety and security of all South Africans.
– Promotion of enterprise development as a key to elimination of unemployment
– Fighting corruption.
– Rural and Urban renewal strategies for infrastructural development and opportunity creation.
– Environmental awareness and education commitment to finding solutions to the taxi industry problems.
– Inclusion of all stakeholder representatives in councils.
– Promote strong liaison between parents, students and educators.
The UDM will assign the following important strategic roles and functions to local government:
-Strengthening multiparty democracy and enhancing democratic values in democratically elected municipal district councils as well as in traditional rural authorities.
– Promoting nation-building schemes at local level through constructive co-operation between local communities.
– Supporting social upliftment and transformation programs to help developing communities to help themselves.
– Co-ordinating and implementing reconstruction and development schemes to ensure integration of all relevant elements.
– Exercising municipal regulatory functions and administration in a creative and responsive way to establish a climate which will attract investment and in which the private sector can stimulate economic growth and create employment opportunities.
– Supporting budgeting and expenditure which give priority to redressing disadvantagement and backlogs in providing services to all communities and simultaneously create conditions for economic growth and social development.
NB: Effective structures and procedures must be established to facilitate and regulate relations and inter-active co-operation between elective local government bodies and traditional authority structures. To promote economic and social development in rural areas. Equitable compromises must be sought between the obligations of democratically elected councillors and those of leaders of traditional societies.
A metropolitan structure will exist where practical combined local government management will lead to better service delivery. Metropolitan service delivery will be more economic and cost effective especially where bulk services are concerned.
– A limited amount of councillors will serve the community.
– More cost-effective structures will be established.
– A more effective structure plan will be developed.
– One management team can be more effective.
The UDM’s policy is that a single administration for a geographical area will be empowered to deliver a more cost-effective service to the citizens. It is also the policy that the management of such a structure will operate more effective consultation forums to ensure better communication.
Cities and towns with developed infrastructure and close to rural councils must promote and ensure infrastructural development linkages with rural councils so that services such as health, education, police services etc. etc. may be co-resourced.
– The whole country must form a local government boundary network.
– The rural areas have an equal share in the development of the nearby towns, cities.
– To combine powers a better form of service delivery will be ensured.
Compare this with the counties and boroughs that are functioning in the UK and USA.
The mayor of a local authority is that person that according to the local government act and ordinances accept the responsibility of the city/town in social and executive functions.
– A directly elected mayor by the citizens of the city/town.
– All social functions and responsibilities remain the responsibility of the executive mayor.
– The functions of the chairman of the executive committee will become the responsibility of the mayor.
– The mayor will be elected for the term of the council.
– The executive function will be restricted to social and political responsibilities.
– The functions of the executive mayor will not interfere with the running of the council or the responsibilities of the chief executive officer/town clerk.
– Political leadership of he mayor implies the leadership of the council.
– No favours for friends will occur as in the elected mayor by the council.
– He/she will be the chairperson of the council.
– He/she will be the leader of the council.
– He/she will be the chairman of the executive committee.
– Social responsibilities should be settled on a macro level.
– Social responsibilities could be delegated to other delegates.
The UDM‘s policy is that the mayor shall be the social and political head of the council and accept those responsibilities. It is also the policy that the mayor is the directly elected representative of the community and, in that capacity be responsible for the sound management of the city/town, in co-operation with the CEO or town clerk.
The democratic right of voters and citizens to participate in the democratic function of their local government:
– It is the democratic right of a voter to elect his/her local council because he/she is a user.
– It is the right of voters and or citizens to be elected as councillors.
– The UDM’s policy is that it is the democratic right of ratepayers and citizens to participate in the democratic process of their local government.
It is the democratic right of traditional leaders to participate in councils, either as elected or ex-officio members.
Structures inside Local Government where the management of the council is done:
– Each local authority should have a system of standing committees.
– Every councillor should be able to take part in the functioning of these committees.
– Financial remuneration could form part of the functioning of these committees.
– Every issue should first be debated in a committee before going to an executive committee and thereafter the council.
The UDM’s policy is that every local authority should have a system of committees where council issues are debated in-tensely before recommending it for approval to exco and council.
FINANCIAL STRUCTURES
[accordian]Those rates and taxes responsible for the income of a local council:
– Tariffs and levies should be market related
– It must be competitive with other local councils
– It should take the general income of the city’s inhabitants into account
– The business community should be consulted
– Incentives should be introduced to attract investment.
The UDM’s policy is that tariffs and levies should be introduced which are competitive, market related and fair.
– The financial reporting should give a report about the operating budget of the council.
– It must be a simple form of reporting.
– It must give a monthly report on the capital flow of the council.
– Councillors and officials should receive more basic financial and statistical information on the flow of capital and expenditures.
– These reports should be able to inform councillors that the capital expenditures are going adrift.
– The reports should also give information on the capital flow (income and expenditure) of the different departments such as water, traffic, electricity, city planning etc.
The UDM’s policy is that all councillors should receive a monthly report on the financial position of the council in the form of basic understandable statistics and financial reports which shows all expenditures as well as incomes for the council for a specific month.
All funds coming from outside South Africa with the aim to develop or improve infrastructure within local government:
– local government should be empowered to get international funds from abroad for development.
– Where international fund is given in the form of loans where a clause stipulates that it must be used for development or grants in aid from abroad must be promoted.
– Above mentioned loans must be promoted under the guidance of the reserve bank and where the local government is able to service these loans.
– Commercial banks must manage these loans on an agency basis for the reserve bank/ local government /loan giver.
The UDM’s policy is that local government that is able to service a loan and under the guidance of the reserve bank and/or commercial bank be empowered to get such a loan for the upliftment and development of the local government.
To promote cost effective competition:
– Competition is the only manner for the determination of cost effective service rendering.
– Competition must be the driving force within the free market system.
– Above must be utilised effectively, through the multifaceted areas of privatisation of services where incumbent workers are empowered.
– Promotion of competition must be promoted to obtain the optimum result for the inhabitants and ratepayers.
The UDM’s policy is to promote and foster competition through the active spectrum of government activities and responsibilities as mechanisms for the effective rendering of services.
Business units that are self sustainable and where the delivery of services is more efficiently delivered by the private sector and more cost effective for the public:
– To ensure and co-ordinate effective service delivery.
– To ensure that the political and social responsibility of local government rendered services be balanced with cost effectiveness.
– To ensure a free and fair system of competition.
– To ensure a balance between upliftment and service delivery.
– To promote active community participation on the development of their areas.
– To investigate the potential of empowering employees to render privatised services.
– Where single operators render a service, checks and balances must be built to make sure that monopoly is not created.
– To investigate every option in creating a better system of service delivery such as: leasing, concessions service contracts management contracts, demonopolise/new entry and full privatisation.
The UDM’s policy is to ensure efficient and cost effective service delivery and to investigate every option of delivering these services. Promote the improvement of the quality of life by improving services to all with free community participation on a sustainable manner where everyone contributes in an equitable manner to the costs.
MUNICIPAL FUNCTIONS
THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT
[accordian]The total spectrum of the performing arts that serves the whole community with all the facets of this entertainment form:
– A multi facet recreation activity with the aim to entertain the whole community.
– Performing arts are aimed at all the social structures of local government.
– The facilities should be operated on a self sustainable basis, its income should cover its expenses.
– The aim should be to promote a cultural development for the citizens.
– The aim should be to establish a healthy recreation facility in the local government.
The UDM’s policy is to place the operation and co-ordination of performing arts as a local government function to ensure the ongoing expansion of arts and culture aimed at all the facets of the community.
For local government to participate in the provision of sport facilities in order to enhance the quality of life of all communities:
– local government must play a facilitation role
– local government must play a leading role in creating partnerships in establishing facilities
The UDM’s policy is to support the facilitative role that local government should play in creating opportunities with private sector to provide sport facilities for the different communities. local government can then by way of bi-lateral agreements render the income from these facilities to cover the capital expenses.
A physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long term effect on a persons’ ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.
– To protect South Africans with disabling conditions from discriminatory practices in public accommodation (in colleges, universities and technikons) employment, transportation and telecommunication.
– To protect every person who either has, used to have or is treated as having a physical or mental disability which substantially limits one or more major life activities.
– To protect individuals who have serious contagious and non-contagious diseases such as Aids/HIV, cancer, epilepsy or tuberculosis.
– To ensure those employers do not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabling conditions and they must reasonably accommodate the disabilities of qualified applicants or employees unless undue hardship would result.
– Institutions may not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabling conditions by excluding them from participating in or denying them the benefits of the services, programmes or activities.
– Public facilities including roads, unions, museums, athletic arenas, auditoriums, libraries, recreational facilities, etc. Must be accessible to individuals with disabling conditions.
– Telecommunication relay services for hearing and speech impairment persons must be provided.
The UDM’s policy is designed to eliminate discrimination on the basis of disability in any program or activity it provides that no qualified person with a disability shall, on the basis of disability be excluded from participation in, be denied benefits of or otherwise be subjected to discrimination under any programme or activity.
– It is the view that local government has the responsibility to hire citizens with some kind of disability on a fair and even basis.
– That the employment of people is based only on their capacity to do the job they are hired for.
– That there be no discrimination against people with disabilities on the grounds of their disabilities.
– It is also the view that a responsibility lies on the disabled person to declare their disabilities especially where it might endanger the local government or it’s employees.
The UDM’s policy is that local government shall treat disabled citizens and employees on an even basis with people that are not disabled and that nobody may discriminate against these persons.
The creation of clean-friendly relaxation facilities for young and old in healthy, clean and safe surrounding:
-To ensure ample open spaces.
– To ensure effective open space planning for the future.
– To ensure cost effective open space utilisation.
– To ensure environmental impact studies on all development especially where the communities are involved.
– To promote active community participation on the development of their areas.
– To facilitate the activities around recreational facilities.
– To privatise the operating of these facilities.
– To ensure that everybody has access to every type of recreation in the city.
The UDM’s policy is designed to ensure that every citizen has access to open spaces and recreational facilities that is user friendly and environmentally acceptable. It also ensures that an active environmental impact studies is done to ensure friendly future.
To provide houses to the public and communities. This includes economical, sub economical, low cost and subsidised housing as well as hostel accommodation.
– To provide affordable housing as well as low cost housing on a significant scale.
– To assist the transfer of houses so as to ensure full-title to communities.
– To manage and administer informal settlements as well as the various other housing schemes.
– To manage and administer accommodation for the aged.
– To manage and administer hostels.
– Screening of potential beneficiaries for the rapid land development programs.
– Screening of beneficiaries for the development of the various extensions.
– These functions should not be unfunded mandates.
The UDM’s policy is to ensure the provision of housing to all through every way possible such as the private sector etc. National and provincial government as well as local government and the private sector should fund housing.
– The rendering of an immunisation service.
– Rendering of a family planning service.
– Monitoring of the growth development.
– A complete counselling system.
– Complete community-training programmes.
– Aesthetic acceptable services.
– Trained manpower to service the facility.
– Preventative health care.
– Rendering of primary health care services in community towards unborn children and pregnant woman.
There are also a few other forms of health services that need attention such as:
[accordian]– Prevent the departure from health caused by working conditions.
– Protect workers in their employment from risks resulting from factors that are detrimental to health.
– Place and maintain workers in an occupation environment adapted to their physical and psychological conditions.
– The distribution of health information to communities is vital.
– Communities must accept responsibility for their own health and make informed choices.
– Promote development of communities by implementing an upliftment and empowerment strategy through skills training, providing relief to unemployed families, hospitalised clients, etc. by networking between organisations.
– A procurement and contracts service.
– A medicine repackaging service.
– A distribution service.
– A health technology service.
– An external advisory service.
– Immunisation, sexual transmitted diseases and family planning substance control.
– An effective administrative support to the health services department.
The UDM’s policy is to ensure access to primary health care to every citizen and to deliver this service on a cost-effective base. It is also the policy that primary health care should be focused on preventative health care rather than the handling of problems.
Health care facilities must be maintained and enhanced, with full private sector participation to ensure a health care service of excellence that will promote the health of the community. The position of traditional healers must be considered.
Living spaces and relaxation facilities that are owed to the citizens by the city where the citizens can relax according to their own needs and where quality of life is given to the city and it’s inhabitants.
– To ensure and facilitate the development of ample open spaces and green belts.
– To ensure effective open space planning for the future.
– To ensure cost effective open space utilisation.
– To ensure environmental impact studies on all development.
– To promote active community participation in the development of strategies.
– To privatise the operation of these facilities, so as to generate funds.
– To ensure that everybody has access to every type of recreation in the city.
– To promote and facilitate the development of libraries and information management.
– To promote and facilitate the development of the performing arts and theatres.
– To promote and facilitate the development of sporting activities and facilities.
– To promote and facilitate the development of the creative arts and art galleries.
– To promote and facilitate the development of museums.
The UDM’s policy is that every citizen has access to open spaces and recreational facilities that are user friendly and environmentally acceptable. It also provides for the facilitation and development of all forms of recreation that are needed by the citizens.
The living spaces and surroundings of citizens in the city including open spaces, green belts, nature conservation areas and the concrete jungle.
– To ensure and facilitate the development of open spaces.
– To ensure effective consultation with all citizens on environmentally sensitive matters as well as general development.
– To ensure environmental impact studies on all development.
– To ensure the facilitation of air pollution counter measures.
– To facilitate the fight of water pollution.
– To privatise the operation of some of these facilities.
– To promote the introduction of noise pollution counter measures.
– To promote and facilitate the introduction of measures to curb littering.
– To promote and facilitate the development of legislation to manage and police all forms of pollution.
– To promote the conservation of the environment.
The UDM’s policy is that every citizen has access to open spaces and conservation areas, that are user friendly and environmentally acceptable. It also provides for the facilitating and development of legislation to curb all forms of pollution and to ensure the saving of our heritage and make our cities aesthetically acceptable. It is also the policy that a full economical impact study is imperative for any local government development.
MUNICIPAL FUNCTIONS
THE ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT
[accordian]The development of the local community with a character of a village within the town or a city within a city:
– The departure point of this term is that the specific village will be self-sustainable.
– Housing of these citizens will be a total development scheme.
– The minimum criteria for the village will be one job opportunity per household.
– Those job creation, housing and business opportunities are developed as an integrated project.
– That empowerment and education be integrated in this plan.
The UDM’s policy is that city/town development be done on an integrated basis to establish a total village where each citizen can play an active role in its economic development
The creation of an open market environment, where small and medium businesspersons, can make shares in their companies available, to the general public.
– Every major city should have a local stock exchange.
– Criteria should be developed to establish a responsible and true system.
– Small and medium business should have the opportunity to take part in this system.
– This will ensure new economic development that will ensure the creation of jobs.
– A full impact study must be done to establish criteria on what type of industries could take part.
The UDM’s policy is that every city should establish a local stock exchange where small and medium business could take part in the general upliftment of the city.
– The micro businesspersons are distinguished from hawkers who only buy and sell.
– It is the aim that local government should support the micro businesspersons to develop their initiatives.
– It is the aim to separate the micro businessperson from the hawker.
– It is the aim to place this micro businessperson in such a way so it will be a tourist attraction.
– It is the aim that the micro businessperson should be friendly, safe and accessible to all buyers.
– It is the aim to support the micro businessperson with education and development.
The UDM’s policy is to support the micro business person operation by facilitating, developing and building it as an economic power inside the local government as a tourist attraction in view of the economic empowerment of the local communities.
– The hawker buys and sells products
– The products may be fresh produce, fresh meat, electrical wares or other products
– The primary market must be determined to know where to place the hawkers (Fresh meat – near stations, bus stops etc).
– Facilities must be established around these roads to provide for these hawkers (Cement tables and a roofed area for meat and produce).
– These products must be separated from the products that attract tourists.
MUNICIPAL FUNCTIONS
THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
[accordian]The development of a system of economic prosperity and job creation in our cities by attracting major industries.
– New industrial investment must be promoted by creating incentives.
– Current industrial expansion must be promoted through incentives.
– Create environments for new investment by fighting crime and cutting rates.
– New economic development will ensure the creation of jobs and new training facilities.
– A full impact study must be done on what types of industries are needed and where they are to be situated.
The UDM’s policy is that industrial economic development must be attracted to ensure economic prosperity and work creation.
For local government to participate in the provision and management of tourism in general to increase the marketability of local attractions:
– local government must play a facilitation role.
– local government must play an administrative role.
– local government must render financial support.
– Must play a leading role in creating partnerships in establishing facilities.
The UDM’s policy is to support the facilitative role that local government should play in creating opportunities with private sector to provide tourism attractions for the different communities.
MUNICIPAL FUNCTIONS
THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
[accordian]The supply of a clear, tasteless, colourless liquid by a network of pipes and reservoirs to everybody in South Africa as stipulated in the Constitution as a basic life-giving right.
– To ensure effective water supply to every citizen and household.
– To ensure effective management of the use and the misuse of water.
– To ensure adequate planning for the future and to provide for future use.
– To create clean and cheap access to water.
– To ensure that the nearest access to water is not further than 200m from a user but to strive towards access to all households.
– To create a community participation process to make people aware of the cost and cost-effective use of it and to ensure the payment of the service. Policy on rural areas needs to be developed on whether the people living in communal land should pay or not for the water.
The UDM’s policy is to ensure that every citizen has access to clean drinkable water. It provides for properly informed citizens on the use and cost of water supply. The policy also aims to provide for the full payment of the services rendered.
The positioning of infrastructure for private and public convenience and the privatisation of public passenger transport:
-Provision for the development of a transport service and infrastructure must be made.
– Demographics must be taken into account.
– Anticipated growth patterns must be taken into account.
– In order to be sustainable and successful it must be concentrated on public convenience.
The UDM’s policy is to plan and provide infrastructure for private and public convenience in a manner that is economically sustainable.
An integrated transport plan includes all forms of transport air, road and rail integrated with a view to the effective transportation of communities to and from their places of work and visitors to places of interest:
– The operation of a metro transport system.
– The system will integrate road, air and rail transportation.
– The operation of this service will function with a one ticket system.
The UDM’s Policy is that all forms of local government will integrate transport for the convenience of its users.
The distribution of power/electricity to all households on a safe, affordable, user-friendly and on a consistent basis.
– Access to affordable electricity for all.
– Effective control and management of electricity.
– To ensure the affordability of electricity supply.
– To implement technology in the most effective form for the management of electricity networks.
– To use funds generated by electricity for electricity supply.
– To ensure effective future planning to contemplate the needs of the future.
– To operate a network that is addressing to the needs of the time.
– To develop a network that can handle the demands of the day.
The UDM’s policy is committed to supply affordable electricity to everyone and to ensure the effective management of the network and to develop a system that is acceptable to the demands of the future.
That sphere of the integrated planning process of the city, with the emphasis on the spatial composition of the city:
– To provide for a sound spatial composition of the urban environment city planning has to plan for.
– Promotion of an economic sustainable city.
– To cater for the social, physical and physiological well being of the citizens.
– To promote healthy economic environments and activities.
– To promote healthier interaction with other spheres of government.
– To create a structure plan that is acceptable to everyone.
– Densification should be considered in collaboration with the community.
– Densification and rezoning applications should be consulted with the community although a healthy balance should remain.
– Community participation as well as specific community forum inputs should be strategically considered.
The UDM’s policy is to provide a spatial composition to the inhabitants of the city that is economically sustainable while considering the physical and physiological well being of the citizens while taking the inputs of the community into account.
The management of traffic in local government forms an integral part in the quality of life of the citizen and that is why the integral management of traffic is a necessity:
– The traffic management plan has to be placed on a strong self-sustainable basis.
– The income of the units has to cover the expenses.
– Optimal use of new and up to date technology has to support the plan.
– The emphasis has to shift from traffic policing to traffic management.
– The management of parking facilities as well as parking meters must form part of responsibility.
– The maintenance of traffic lights has to be included in the plan.
The UDM’s policy is: that bigger emphasis has to be placed on traffic management that’s supposed to be an active cost effective unit the outcome from traffic fines and parking tariffs are to be used to finance the cost of this unit.
A specific group of people who are willing to give up their spare time for service in the community to ensure a cost effective emergency or part time force.
– The use of doctors for service in emergency situations or a few hours each week in disadvantaged communities at clinics.
– The use of volunteers or students for traffic management.
– To enhance the fire safety situation of the city by the use of students. – These students get free board and lodging in fire stations in exchange for their services in an emergency situation.
– Day wages may be paid in certain situation. This still leaves the council without the financial burden of pensions or subsidies.
– Initiatives should be taken to build this concept.
– Cater for the social, physical and psychological well being of the citizens.
– To create a financial viable environment.
– These volunteers or reserve force could do part time functions.
The UDM’s policy is to provide a volunteer or reserve force for the community to ensure a cost effective emergency service.
The optimal utilisation of available technology and the intentional pace-keeping with technological developments in the field of information technology:
– Current technology must be utilised optimally.
– Monitoring developments in the field of information technology must be done secure sufficient budgeting in order to accommodate all expansion and upgrading.
– Create one info system that can be utilised by all departments.
The UDM’s policy is to provide information system for the council in order to improve the efficiency of the council and its employees and to ensure an up to date information technology department.
A planning and budgeting process that takes account of the community’s needs in the physical, economical, social and institutional environments:
– The UDM supports the departure point of “planning with the people” rather than “planning for the people”.
– Participate in planning is encouraged and supported.
– Multi-dimensional views, rather than the purely social view of planning are needed.
– The economic impact of planning must be carefully considered.
– Plans should be aimed at stimulating economic growth and development while promoting a social health environment.
The UDM’s policy is to promote participation planning with regard to the physical, social, economic and institutional environment.
Solid waste is those wasted products that are removed by the local authority and require special service units and services:
– Solid waste has to be separated into organic and inorganic materials by the user.
– Glass have to be separated form other waste.
– All metals have to be separated from each other (iron, tin, lead etc).
– All paper products are to be separated form the rest.
– All computer and relative materials have to be separated from the rest.
– Waste to be removed and not separated must be removed with a higher tariff.
– Recycling plants and or private recycling entrepreneurs must be encouraged.
– The business community has to be encouraged by services and rebates to maintain open spaces such as parks, sidewalks and open spaces.
The UDM’s policy is that solid waste is managed in such a way that recycling and reusing/ recirculating of natural or other resources be enforced. It is also the policy that a differentiated waste tariff structures is implemented to encourage users to recycle. It is also the UDM’s policy to minimize all pollution in our cities and towns.
MUNICIPAL FUNCTIONS
THE INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT
[accordian]The process where people regain their access to land, which they were deprived of due to previous racially, based legislation:
– Restitution is governed nationally by the restitution of land rights act (Act 22 of 1994). Restitution is also a constitutionally based obligation.
– Restitution, when awarded by the land claims court, in terms of the act will have an impact on the local sphere of government resources in delivering services.
– Cognisance must also be taken in the change of social structures, which the process will inevitably lead to.
– Restitution claims is a claim against the state. All spheres of government must be ready to provide information regarding the factual historical position.
– This should not be a disruptive process.
The UDM’s policy is that the UDM acknowledges and supports the restitution of land. All the concerned parties should be properly informed to have the process lead to the settlement, if so awarded, of viable and sustainable communities and cause the least amount of disruption.
Those agreements that occur between two cities with the view to expand knowledge and mutual support:
– Sister city agreements must be encouraged and promoted.
– It is the meaning to form a pattern where “peer” agreements are reached.
For example:
a) Capital to capital.
b) Provincial capital to provincial capital.
c) The agreements must be honoured.
d) These agreements must have the minimum financial implications.
e) That the co-operation agreements be limited to local governments.
f) Such agreements must be to the benefit of local economics.
The UDM’s policy is that sister city agreements be actively promoted with a view to intentional communication and relationship to empower local governments to share in the knowledge of other cities.
An integral part of the local government community’s existence with the aim to educate and to develop the intellectual capacity to ensure better production and helping people to play an active role in the future of our country:
Education structures form an integral part of the governments community’s existence with the aim to educate and to develop the intellectual capacity to ensure better production and helping people to play an active role in the future of our country:
– Education structures form an integral part of every local government community structures.
– It is the idea that the local government will run the education system in its city as an agent for the province or national government.
– It is the idea that the local government through tax concessions be able to run the education system in the city as a sub-education system.
– The infrastructure of the town/city will be developed to support the education system.
– It is the view that the recreational facilities be developed to be available to the whole community.
– This function should be performed with funding from national and provincial government skills based education.
The UDM’s policy is that education should be a local government function to be operated on an agency basis for the government.
It is important that the city council/municipality as the primary authority ensure the safety of its citizens by the management of an effective safety system/ service:
– It is important that a city police department be investigated.
– The aims of the city police department would be the safety of the city’s citizens and visitors.
– The city police would not be responsible for the investigation side of crime this responsibility would lie with the Saps.
– The city policing function should not come with an unfunded mandate.
The UDM’s policy is that the local authority shall provide and operate a city police service where the primary responsibility will be to ensure the safety and security of the citizens and visitors of the city/town/villages.
COMPILED BY:
BH HOLOMISA
PRESIDENT: UNITED DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT
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