service delivery

With just two weeks to go until the local government elections, the Black Sash has released a review of where the top five political parties stand on the key socio-economic issues facing South Africa. The review forms part of the organisation’s contribution to voter education as well as its ongoing initiative to monitor political parties’ performance and hold them accountable for their policy promises and service delivery commitments.

The proportion of households receiving free basic services from Western Cape municipalities was significantly higher than the average provided to households nationally in 2009. Some 82%, 69%, and 52% of Western Cape households received free basic water, sanitation, and solid waste management services respectively.

The corresponding national figures were 58%, 33%, and 23%.

These figures appear in the latest South Africa Survey, published by the South African Institute of Race Relations in Johannesburg this week.

‘The truth will set us free’ said the Most Revd Dr Thabo Magkoba on Monday evening, in calling for open communications and genuine consultations between government and local communities, especially when dealing with problems of service delivery.

Delivering the 4th address in the Annual Irene Grootboom Lecture Series, organised by the Social Justice Coalition, the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town said honest and transparent communication was the key to building trust, and without it ‘the smallest molehill can become an erupting volcano’.

People all over South Africa have been asking the leaders of Abahlali baseMjondolo as to why the government continues to ignore the demands of the shack dwellers. They have been asking why after all the marches, statements, reports and meetings the Kennedy Road settlement continues to get burnt down through the endless shack fires. They have been referring in particular to the recent Kennedy Road shack fire on Sunday, 4 July 2010 that took four lives, leaving more than three thousand people displaced and homeless.

‘My heart is very sore at the terrible scenes of devastation in Kennedy Road’ said Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, following the weekend’s massive fires which saw 2 dead and over 2000 left homeless. Addressing the wider needs of those in informal settlements, he added ‘yet the overwhelming success of the World Cup shows that with focus, commitment, hard work and perseverance, we can achieve our goals – we must confidently apply the same effort to service delivery promises.’

Written by Tiisetso Makube

In one of the most eloquent newspaper cartoons of recent times, we were treated to a proud, post-1994 South African government boast that not only does it have the excellent capacity to deliver, it also does so with the necessary urgency.

The cartoon appeared shortly after the announcement of the successful construction of one of the stadiums ahead of the 2010 Soccer World Cup we will be hosting between June and July.