AfriForum’s spotlight on qualifications of municipal officers

30 June 2016  

The civil rights organisation AfriForum is in the process of preparing a request in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2000 (PAIA) to obtain the qualifications of senior municipal officers with the aim of tackling poor service delivery and removing unfit officers.

This follows after statistics were released that show, among other, that municipal salaries and staff expenses have increased with R22 billion over a period of four years (2011-2015), but that only 5% of the total municipal budget is allocated for maintenance and repairs. 

AfriForum will first focus on municipalities that performed the worst in the Auditor-General’s (AG’s) Consolidated General Report. According to Marcus Pawson, AfriForum’s Head of Local Government, AfriForum will also investigate whether officers of these municipalities comply with the minimum requirements and regulations of the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs. 

“AfriForum is of the opinion that the Government’s programmes and requirements for the improvement of service delivery are not implemented. There is also a direct parallel between the municipalities that are mismanaged according to the AG’s report and the high number of unqualified officers.”

According to Pawson, numerous municipalities do not have organograms in pace, which results in too many senior personnel and too few supportive personnel and divisions.

“Moreover, these senior officers often receive excessive salaries, while additional funds have to be spent on experts and consultants.”

Issued by Marcus Pawson, Head: Local Government, AfriForum, 30 June 2016