No fix for wards in current format
THE article “Ward system not working -– poor education hampers service delivery in BCM” (DD, April 13) refers.
In the article reference is made to a research report on municipal ward committees in Buffalo City Metro which argued that the inefficiency of ward committees was as a result of low levels of members’ education
The report prepared by BCM council speaker Alfred Mtsi stated that out of 334 ward committee members assessed, only 36 had post-matric qualifications, 112 had matric and 186 did not have a matric.
The article went further to quote Mtsi saying that 90% of ward committees in BCM were functional.
Quite important to note here is that this implies, and quite correctly so, that the functionality of a ward committee does not translate to effectiveness.
So, if ward committees are operational and functional but yet are not effective, could it be that they are “not fit for purpose”?
Poor levels of education are the least of the challenges of ward committees.
Afesis-corplan, believes the challenges are much more systemic and deep-rooted and that no amount of reform of the current structure will rehabilitate them.
Ward committees have no ability to shift the power pendulum in local government which is critical to influence co-creation and participatory development.
They have no real influence in key decision-making and as such, are unable to influence decisions in the manner that delivers on the aspirations of the ward communities they represent.
Generally ward committees have long lost credibility in the communities they supposedly represent.
Many wards initiate service delivery protests without the ward committee even knowing, attesting to the rejection of this structure as a broker of relationships between the state and ward communities.
They do not account to the communities that elected them and municipal policies prohibit these ward committees from aligning with communities during a standoff between ward communities and the municipality, making them more of a quasi-municipal extension than a community-development structure.
Moreover, ward committee members are not elected from legitimate development sectors within ward communities as envisaged in legislation.
This is largely because community development and community networks are not stratified along ward boundaries.
There are no legitimate organised developmental sectors from which to draw ward committee members, and so to expect ward committees to suddenly represent broad sectors is misplaced.
Because they are not drawn from any developmentally organised sectors, ward committees are unable to foster the social cohesion and community resilience that a developmental local government needs.
It is common knowledge that since their inception, ward committees have been mired in local political battles.
The socioeconomic context of South Africa is largely to blame for this.
For some, being a ward councillor is the most influential job they have ever had, and they would want to stay in it for as long as possible. It makes sense therefore to manipulate the ward committee in fulfilment of this desire.
The ward committee has become a stepping stone for a career in politics.
South African local government is envisioned as being developmental. This requires the creation of a conducive environment for co-creation and partnership between all stakeholders in local governance – which canvasses and rallies the energy and resources of all towards a common developmental goal.
There are conflicting views as to whether a representative form of participation, as envisaged through the ward committee, is the best way to achieve this.
Now let me turn back to the argument on education. In all its time in government, the ANC has not prioritised education as key criteria for leadership.
The discussion within the party centres on inclusion and exclusion with a dominant view that wisdom, experience and enlightenment are far more valuable as determinants for leaders than education alone.
It is those who demonstrate wisdom, have a wealth of experience in the liberation struggle, civic mobilisation and activism and who display an understanding of the socio-political challenges confronting society who rise to positions of leadership.
If levels of education mattered that much we never would have had some of the people we had as mayors and councillors (we recently had a president without a matric for a while).
To suddenly impose this as criteria for ward committee efficacy is not in tandem with the established view in the ANC and by default, the view in ANC-governed municipalities.
Afesis-corplan is of the view that the ward committee system is not fit for purpose and that no amount of reforming or tweaking will rehabilitate it.
There is a need to rethink public participation with a focus of facilitating co-creation between the state and citizens. We need to create a conducive environment for both institutionalised and organic forms of engagement, and allow communities to craft and broker relationships with the state in the manner that best delivers their development aspirations.