The joint parliamentary oversight delegation concluded its engagements with municipalities in Gauteng on Friday, emphasising the need for cooperation, accountability and consequence management in municipal governance.
The delegation, comprising the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts and the Standing Committee on the Auditor-General, conducted oversight last week in North West and Gauteng together with the provincial legislatures. This oversight visit formed part of a broader programme engagement with underperforming municipalities across provinces.
Chairperson of the delegation, Dr Zweli Mkhize, stressed that this oversight process was not only about compliance, but about forging a new model of oversight rooted in cooperative governance. “The spirit we are trying to build is one of partnership between the different spheres of government. This engagement has shown that we must strengthen cooperation across councils, legislatures, provincial executives, and national bodies if we are to achieve real change.”
He acknowledged the presence of the MEC for COGTA in Gauteng, Mr Jacob Mamobelo, who was delegated by the Premier to represent the provincial executive. Dr Mkhize also noted that the delegation felt the Speaker and the provincial legislature could have made a stronger effort to participate in the oversight engagement. “We also believe that their absence has not assisted in strengthening the spirit we are trying to build of cooperative governance and intergovernmental relations, which drive this model of oversight visits. It is something that we need to raise,” he said, adding that the sentiment of working together in monitoring the turnaround of municipalities does need a formal commitment from the Speaker and the provincial legislature.
Dr Mkhize said the oversight visits aim to strengthen the government’s capacity and ensure that it can offer the people of South Africa the services they deserve. The success of what we do will not be measured by whether we can talk among ourselves, but by whether there is a difference in service delivery, he noted.
He reminded those present that oversight is ultimately about improving people’s lives. “The success of what we do will not be measured by whether we issue reports. It will be measured by whether there is a difference in how people experience services and in how we address poverty, local economic development, water supply, sanitation and the daily needs of our communities. All these are important issues,” he said, “and the people will ultimately judge whether we have risen to the occasion.”
Said Dr Mkhize: “Accountability is about outcomes. Whether a document is signed or moved one step further, it is not about an individual or a salary increase. It is about changing somebody’s life. When people voted for this new dispensation, for the end of apartheid, they voted for the kind of society where there is a sense of equality. This would be provided by the efficiency with which we deliver services to them.”
He said the delegation found that capacity and resources are not the primary obstacles facing municipalities. “The real challenge is political will and leadership stability. We must build a culture of cooperation, responsibility, accountability, and consequence management. At the end of the day, these are the issues that determine whether municipalities succeed or fail,” said Dr Mkhize. “Our people did not vote for us to preside over excuses. They voted for a society with equity, delivered through efficient services.”
Dr Mkhize reiterated that the delegation expects provincial and local leaders to monitor and report on commitments made during the engagements. This will ultimately culminate in joint reports that will be tabled in Parliament. The delegation aims to cover two more provinces before the end of the year, as it seeks to inform the next auditing cycle. “So it is important that interventions are timely. The measure of our success will not be in the words we write but in the lives we change.”
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