This opinion piece originally appeared in the Daily Maverick on 15 November 2024

Would we mind paying municipal councillors enormous salaries if they were ethical servants of the people? Julius Kleynhans, the executive manager of OUTA’s Local Government Division, has his say. 

Eskom’s threat to cut power to Johannesburg over an unpaid electricity debt of R4.9bn highlights the plight of municipalities across South Africa. As long as competence and accountability are sacrificed for political power and self-enrichment, the situation will only get worse.

When elephants fight, only the grass suffers. This African proverb might as well have been coined to describe the current situation in most of the country’s 257 municipalities.

Only 34 of those 257 municipalities received clean audits for the past financial year – a situation that is more often than not the result of political infighting on councils. Frustrated residents and many municipal officials who are prevented from doing their jobs properly are caught up in the power struggles.

According to Auditor-General of South Africa Tsakani Maluleke, poor audit outcomes show the lack of skills, stability and discipline in municipalities. Maluleke pointed out that municipalities left R3.4-billion in infrastructure grants unspent, while wasteful spending increased by R4.9-billion to R7.4-billion.

Additionally, R24.1-billion was spent without authorisation. Imagine what a difference the proper spending of these funds – meant for crucial infrastructure – could mean for struggling towns and cities. Yet projects meant to improve the delivery of critical services like water and electricity are marred by delays, cost overruns, and poor-quality work.

The City of Johannesburg has spent much time and money fighting court cases this year against Eskom and residents over disputed electricity bills, instead of focusing on resolving these issues. Now businesses and residents face damaging power cuts because of this unresolved fight.

Failure to deliver

Millions of ordinary South Africans suffer a frustrating lack of service delivery with water and power outages now dominating the list of complaints in many municipalities.

But why do we find ourselves in a situation referred to by President Cyril Ramaphosa himself as the “hijacking of municipal councils and administrations for self-enrichment and personal gain”? A report by the Mail & Guardian in September 2022 notes this and that the president urged municipalities to hire “skilled and capable” personnel to fulfil their duties in an “accountable, transparent, efficient and responsive way” and stop the havoc caused by political infighting.

Even the South African Local Government Association (Salga) – the body representing the interests of South Africa’s municipalities – has expressed concerns over declining service delivery and increasing instability at municipal level.

Salga cites poor political leadership and weak administrative management as one of the key reasons for this. Salga is also worried about the education levels of councillors – one-third of the country’s 3,800 councillors don’t have matric, while only one-third have a post-matric qualification.

Yet they are in charge of a combined budget of R572.68-billion across 257 municipalities.

Political hijacking of councils

Another point of concern, according to Salga, is the severe loss of institutional memory that occurred after the 2021 elections when two-thirds of councillors were newly elected.

One of the key problems associated with the political hijacking of councils by those who prioritise their own interests over communities is that councillors approach their work as merely a career opportunity and not as a service to the community.

Gone are the days of professional individuals who volunteered their time and professional expertise to serve their communities – often without remuneration – because they considered it a calling. Now anybody can become a municipal councillor – without any qualification or experience in finance, governance or public administration – as long as they toe the party line.

Many South Africans are not aware of how well councillors are paid to serve their communities. Salaries for ordinary councillors, from July 2024, run from R279,206 to R593,610 a year (these are classified as part-time jobs) while mayors (full-time) get up to R1.585-million a year and their mayoral councillors (full-time positions) up to R1.205-million a year (see here).  

The municipal grading is determined by factors like the size of the population and the municipality’s budget and is determined by the National Treasury and national government.

After the new ANC/Action SA coalition asked former Joburg mayor Kabelo Gwamanda to resign as mayor, he had to take a pay cut, but since he is still a member of the Johannesburg Mayoral Committee, he still earns R1.205-million a year.

Would we mind paying these enormous salaries if municipal councillors were hardworking, ethical servants of the people? Probably not. But what if they are merely there to further the interests of political parties, connected cadres and themselves, while obstructing the work of the many hardworking, ethical municipal officials we know still exist?

Hold them accountable

It is time that we, the residents of towns and cities across South Africa, hold councillors accountable and make them work for their salaries.

There is a very visible crisis in Johannesburg, with suburbs being without water for days or even weeks, electricity interruptions due to non-maintenance of infrastructure or overloaded systems, traffic lights not working for months, potholes, overflowing sewage … the list goes on.

But the council is wound up in a seemingly never-ending play for power. Joburg is also not the exception, with plenty more examples around the country of once-proud municipalities reduced to a dysfunctional mess because of political infighting and one-upmanship.

Town councils in places like Knysna and George once represented some of the highest standards of community-based governance, with councillors prioritising local interests over political gain. Sadly, service delivery in Knysna all but disintegrated in a matter of 18 months because of the games power-hungry politicians play.

In the private sector, employees who contribute the most value to a company expect to be rewarded. In politics, however, value often means generating wealth for a party and its leaders rather than community improvement.

For example, in Emfuleni Municipality, councillors and officials have been implicated in misusing funds, leading to water and sewage crises that directly affect the lives of residents, forcing national government intervention to find solutions.

Yet councillors continue to receive salaries and perks, creating an alarming disconnect between the roles they’re supposed to fill, the privileges they receive and the frustration of the residents they are supposed to serve.

Rates and taxes rise, service delivery declines

Despite the non-delivery of essential services in many municipalities, rates and taxes increase annually. This disconnect between taxation and public benefit highlights the urgent need to reassess the role of councillors and political parties in municipal governance.

Some political parties have seemingly morphed into criminal enterprises, driven by greed and the pursuit of power. The construction and water-tanker mafias are two examples. Not only are politically connected groups disrupting projects by demanding kickbacks or inflating tenders, but they even benefit financially from the crisis they create while public funds are being siphoned off.

In the words of the investigative journalism platform amaBhungane: “The ‘extortion economy’ is spreading, across the country and across sectors” – adding to the woes of ordinary citizens.

Political assassinations are on the rise, also in municipalities. All too often we hear of municipal officials or law enforcement officers who paid with their lives for fighting corruption.

The Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime’s report in May recorded 31 political assassinations in 2023 and 10 in the first five months of 2024, and says targeted killings have become more daring, particularly at the local government level.

“These murders are used to silence political opponents, take control of succession battles, infiltrate local governance and influence political outcomes,” said the report.

It is clear that many political beneficiaries have everything to lose and are willing to do anything to maintain these livelihoods and increase their wealth, rendering even more municipalities unable to deliver essential services.

Coalitions

Coalitions further compounded these issues. When parties scramble to form coalitions – like in Johannesburg or Tshwane – their focus often shifts to securing control over municipal budgets and strategic departments rather than delivering on their mandate: ensuring effective governance and providing sustainable, professional services.

Coalition members sometimes gain control over sections of budgets, directing funds to projects with little oversight and even less public benefit. These aren’t partnerships for better governance; they are power grabs that leave voters sidelined.

Unfortunately, Johannesburg and Tshwane are not outliers. Across the country, municipalities such as Nelson Mandela Bay, eThekwini and Mangaung are grappling with similar political instability.

These examples paint a grim picture of a municipal governance system held hostage by political self-interest. The stakes are high and the cost of inaction is felt most by ordinary South Africans who rely on their municipalities for basic services.

If we are to restore stability and rebuild trust, municipalities must prioritise capable leadership and transparent governance over political gamesmanship. Only then can we begin to address the deepening crises in our cities and towns, laying the groundwork for a more sustainable and equitable future.

When municipalities fulfil their mandates and provide stable, quality services, they create the groundwork for economic growth. This won’t happen until municipal governance is restored to its rightful place: as a public service dedicated to bettering the lives of citizens, not advancing the wealth of a select few.

If South Africa is to unlock its potential, eradicate poverty and drive economic development, fixing municipal governance is essential. With transparency, qualification-based appointments and a commitment to integrity, municipalities can be transformed into the engines of progress they were always meant to be.