‘Local, national government disconnect’

The first-ever virtual Daily Dispatch Dialogues delivered many thought-provoking views on the interface between national and local government in tackling Covid-19.

Moderated by Nkosinathi Biko, executive trustee of the Steve Biko Foundation, the panellists highlighted some concerning issues, notably how municipalities had been sidelined during the first few weeks of lockdown.

SA Local Government Association (Salga) chairperson Thembi Nkadimeng said the pandemic had exposed poor planning across the different spheres of government.

“It appears the attitudes among some government officials have neglected the effect of the pandemic on people,” Nkadimeng said.

She was particularly aggrieved that not only did some municipalities only receive relief funds 50 days after lockdown, but the amount allocated to them was not nearly sufficient.

National government, she said, had ignored local government pleas to reprioritise infrastructure as part of its Covid-19 response.

“The proposal of reprioritising was completely ignored. The president (Cyril Ramaphosa) announced R20bn would be allocated to municipalities, but again this wasn’t immediately allocated,” Nkadimeng said.

What made the situation harder to swallow was that only R11bn of the R20bn was actually allocated.

She took special aim at the department of social development, which she said had “flatly refused” to take responsibility for the homeless, for example.

Nkadimeng, who is also the mayor of Polokwane, said her municipality did not have psychological services available.

“It was difficult for us to assess what was required. We don’t know how to deal those who need assistance.”

She also decried the fact that R600m was made available by national government for the provision of water tanks and sanitation, yet municipalities had not been consulted. As a result, there was “poor co-ordination and poor planning”.

Professor Jaap de Visser, the director of the Dullah Omar Institute, said the dialogue was an important topic because the role of local government was frequently overlooked.

He said politically and financially, local government was too often the recipient of instructions and tasks that “are not always very well conceived”.

“I get the distinct impression the approach to dealing with the pandemic is orchestrated from the centre. But our cities and villages and municipalities have to be enabled to influence the response,” De Visser said.

He agreed that the financial response had been “woefully inadequate” considering municipalities’ declining revenue under lockdown.

He said local government was not being viewed as a key partner. The national government seemed to have “abolished” local democracy, in that councillors were told to stay home or hold virtual meetings.

Instead, only mayors and municipal managers were consulted.

He said there had been a “heavy-handed” approach from national government, and that a one-size-fits-all approach was not suitable.

We don’t know how to deal those needing assistance