And municipal managers: service delivery suffers
growing concerns across the country. A sample of 54 councillors and 40 municipal managers from across the country was engaged. While the sample was relatively small, it can be extrapolated to demonstrate national trends. The systemic violence has involved the destruction of municipal property during protests, damage to private property, threats towards individual and loss of life. The source of the threats is community members, members of their own political parties and threats from opposition political parties. This trend has threatened to derail service delivery progress in various municipalities and has contributed to the fragility of local government. The study sought to understand the extent to which councillors have experienced violence, and what needs to be done to protect and assist councillors in the fulfillment of their duties.
Councillors and municipal managers responded to survey questions and expressed their opinions on personal experiences of intimidation as well as property destruction and violence. They further shared and observed experiences of their peers, whether action was taken when cases were reported, perceptions and knowledge of who was responsible for the threats and their views on potential remedial action to be taken.
The gender bias in councillor attacks
The study found that of the 66% of the councillors reported that they had been threatened at least once and 46% reported being threatened frequently. Male councillors were threatened with physical violence more often than female councillors. For women who had been threatened, the threats were directed to their families, and sometimes they were threatened with rape. The threats were also skewed towards speakers and chief whips of councils, more than they were towards ward and proportional representatives. When asked about how the threats of violence had influenced their likelihood to make themselves available for another term, 55% of the councillors said that the threats made them less willing to run another term. 66% said the violence and threats of violence had negatively affected their performance. This has led to a worrying trend of councillors resigning and choosing to not complete their terms of office. Only 27% of the respondents felt that the threats were not significant enough to deter them from public service.
For municipal managers, 60% reported that they had been threatened, and 30% reported that they had been threatened frequently. In 30% of the cases of intimidation that were reported to authorities or to political parties, the threats stopped. In
12.5% of reported cases, restraining orders were obtained, which stopped the threats and intimidation. Municipal managers reported that the motivation for the threats and violence were economic reasons such as tender awards, employment and salaries or wages. Municipal managers face different challenges to councillors because of limited interface with community members. Working with organised labour poses an additional risk as issues around resource management exposed municipal managers to threats, particularly in instances of theft, irregular allocation of municipal funds and the awarding of tenders.
A trend that has emerged as a result of the violence and other factors is that of municipal managers not completing their contract periods, serving an average of three years of their fiveyear contracts. The loss of skills and experience has an immense impact on service delivery and continuity in municipalities; municipal managers are highly skilled administrators, with 60% of whom have master’s and PhD levels of education. It is local government’s service delivery programmes that suffer due to managers being killed or leaving their jobs before their tenure ends.
The study found that the three dominant ways councillors are killed is while they are in transit, upon entering their homes and kidnapping. Kidnapping is said to be common in municipal wards that are contested and won by opposition parties. Other forms of killings are opportunistic, where councillors are gunned down while walking in the street, or targeted while attending a political meeting.
Security risk assessment
To curb the effects of intimidation and violence, SALGA has undertaken initiatives to support its members. One of those initiatives is the advocacy for Special Risk Insurance (Sasria), in which municipalities take out risk cover for councillors against the loss or damage to property caused by civil unrest. The study reveals that whilst municipalities are not compelled to take out Sasria cover for their own property they must take this cover for councillors. When the SAPS regard a threat as credible, municipal managers are authorised to detail security for councillors. What is important is that SAPS conducts assessments timeously, in order for security to be authorised, which does not happen often enough, thus risking the lives of councillors.
The protection services available at local government level is vastly different from the protection services afforded to political officials at provincial and national level. At national level the SAPS conducts assessments, and in conjunction with the departments of transport and public works, upgrades are done in accordance with the assessment. Due to funding constraints and public outcry these
similar upgrades for councillors are not extended to councillors. It is only in the event of a threat deemed credible by the SAPS that council is obliged to provide protection for the public representatives and their families.
The study revealed that a significant number of councillors are unaware of the measures put in place by SALGA to protect them or support them when they are under threat. In the SALGA Working Group on councillor welfare, councillors expressed the fear that the security supplied by the council — where a threat has been identified — was often known to rival political group supporters. They felt that this type of security assigned to them was ceremonial rather than a deterrent to would be attackers.
SALGA recommendations
In order for South Africa to deal with the scourge of violence, the study recommends that existing security arrangements be improved — better forms of security must be made available as and when they are needed. The SAPS must improve their security assessments of councillors’ properties timeously to prevent the intensification of threats after they are initially reported. A safety and security manual for councillors and municipal managers must be developed, outlining steps to be taken in the event of threat or harm.
The study also recommends that cases of killings and intimidation of councillors be considered and treated as priority crimes that are investigated without fear or favour, regardless of the political parties involved. The psychological impact on those at the receiving end of threats should be taken more seriously, and trauma counselling facilities be made available to assist. Councillors should be empowered with conflict resolution skills to better deal with issues when they arise. Data literacy can assist them in understanding their constituencies in order for them to respond to the needs of people effectively. The study also calls for greater collaboration with civil society and community-based organisations where possible to assist in information and intelligence gathering.
A culture of impunity or the protection of those responsible for political killings of councillors and municipal managers is implied by the ineffectiveness of the justice system in the prosecution of murders in general. The crisis is systemic, and is reflected in how the few cases of murders of councillors have been successfully prosecuted. This suggests that South Africa is not dealing effectively with this scourge, which is deeply embedded in the South African society.