The Masakhane campaign has not only failed to impress the non-paying public, but their representatives in local government as well, reports Rehana Rossouw
Local authorities in the Western Cape are purging councillors from their positions, barely three months after they were elected, for failing to pay for the services they were elected to administer.
A staggering R151-million is owed in five former black townships in the Cape Metropole for electricity, water and other services. And in Port Elizabeth this week, the treasury department recommended that municipal services be suspended in areas with an exceptionally high record of non-payment. Arrears in the city currently total R75-million.
Yet, while central and local government grapple to win support for the Masakhane campaign nationally, in the past few weeks seven Western Cape councillors and one mayor were summarily dismissed from their positions when it emerged that they were also in arrears.
Four of the ousted councillors were elected to the Mossel Bay town council in November, two served in Citrusdal and one in Bitterfontein. The mayor of Groot Brak Rivier, Edjon Frans, was dismissed two weeks ago, but won a court interdict reinstating him on the grounds that he was not given proper notice of the penalty. Five of the councillors represented the African National Congress, and Frans held a casting vote for the ANC in a council equally divided between the ANC and the National Party.
A Western Cape municipal ordinance (20 of 1974) allows for a dismissal of a councillor who is in arrears for three months or more with service charge payments. Candidates for the elections last year were only eligible if their arrears were paid up. This means the ousted councillors have not paid since assuming their positions.
The affected town councils, political parties and local government officials refused to name the councillors or disclose how much they owed, saying such information was confidential.
However, the ANC is contesting their dismissal on the grounds that the proper procedure was not followed and that the purge was based on a hidden agenda by the NP to discredit the ANC.
“All councillors should set an example to the community and ensure that their municipal accounts are paid up. As elected councillors they should be taking the lead in mobilising the community to support the Masakhane campaign,” said Western Cape MPL Cameron Dugmore, the ANC’s spokesman on local government.
He said the ANC had legal opinion that the ordinance required that written notice be given from a treasurer to any councillor in arrears to pay up within 14 days. This provision was not followed by the town councils.
“To summarily dismiss a mayor and force a by- election is surely not the intention of the regulation. This will result in both the cost of convening a by-election and the costs of legal action, amounting to an additional burden on all ratepayers,” Dugmore said.
“The ANC is also convinced that this is an election ploy, the NP is trying to portray the ANC councillors as unwilling to pay for services to make cheap political gain.”
The MEC for Local Government in the Western Cape, Peter Marais, was not available to respond to this claim. His staff referred the Mail & Guardian to the municipal ordinance, saying their office had no further comment. They could also not say if further dismissals were planned.
Dugmore said all the ANC’s dismissed councillors had paid their arrears in full since they were ousted. Further court action was being planned to reinstate the Citrusdal and Mossel Bay councillors.
There appears to be confusion in town councils about how to apply the municipal ordinance. The Ladismith town council discovered last month that one of its councillors was in arrears with service charge payments for more than three months, but gave him two weeks in which to settle his debt.
The MEC for Local Government and Housing in the Free State, Mantsheng Motsumi, is about to embark on a roadshow in the province to encourage councillors to settle their arrears. Her representative was unable to say how many councillors owed money. Other regions reported they were not aware of similar problems.