Elections 2011: DA presents Track Record of Delivery for All
Note to editors: The following statement was distributed at a press conference given earlier today by James Selfe MP, DA Chairperson of the Federal Executive, Dr Wilmot James MP, DA National Chairperson, and Lindiwe Mazibuko MP, DA National Spokesperson.
Today, the Democratic Alliance (DA) is releasing the third, and final, major document of our 2011 Municipal Election campaign. Our "Track Record of Delivery for All", which is available for download online, follows the "Cape Town Story" and "Local Government Manifesto 2011". We believe it typifies what the Democratic Alliance stands for, what we have achieved, and what we can bring to municipalities across South Africa: service delivery excellence for all the people. It is a document that speaks to our vision of a society in which all South Africans have the opportunities and freedoms to be able to make of their lives what they wish - and, critically, how it is that we have gone about working towards that goal wherever we govern.
Our "Track Record of Delivery for All" provides a consolidated record of our governance of municipalities outside of Cape Town - what we have done to improve services, build infrastructure, clamp down on crime and corruption, and build open, accountable administrations that facilitate development, job creation and prosperity.
It focuses on six municipalities: Baviaans, Midvaal, Mossel Bay, Overstrand, Swartland and Theewaterskloof (the DA governs 12 municipalities; these six represent those municipalities where the DA has governed outright for five years or more). Some of these municipalities are located in urban centres, while others are rural. Some faced dire poverty when we came into office, while others were already more economically advanced. Some face unique political and historical constraints; others are defined by geography or climate. What each, however, has in common, is that they have been guided by an approach to local governance that has delivered results:
- All six have reduced water supply backlogs to under 2%; four have reduced them to zero. All the while, 360,000 South African households in non-DA run municipalities still do not have basic access to water.
- Five of the six are ranked in the top performing tier of municipalities countrywide by a Cooperative Governance Department report.
- Even while 20% of households, nationally, do not have access to basic sanitation, all six have reduced sanitation backlogs to under 6% of households.
- Five of the six spent 100% of their Municipal Infrastructure Grants in 2009/10 - money that is ring-fenced for infrastructure delivery to poor communities. In contrast, just one-third of non-DA municipalities countrywide spent their full allotment.
- Five of the six have rationalised staffing costs to between one-quarter and one-third of overall expenditure - freeing up more funds for service delivery.
In a country where three in five municipalities are classified as dysfunctional, and where local government has become a watchword for failure, rather than progress, the Democratic Alliance is proving that another way is possible. In our document, we outline our performance in each of these six municipalities, and then elaborate on how these six case studies, combined, serve as the basis for a powerful comparative analysis with other, non-DA governed municipalities: