The mayor who works miracles
Who says modern miracles don’t happen? I came across an article in an overseas news magazine that had me quivering with excitement. And as a born and bred South African, sick to death of inept governance, corruption and ongoing crime, bristling with envy.
It was a piece about a chief minister (the equivalent of our mayors) of a small region in India who turned a once poverty-stricken and lawless community into a thriving crime-free metro with an average annual growth of 11%.
He overturned sluggish and corrupt courts into strong and effective institutions that have, since his election, convicted 66 000 criminals (including three members of parliament).
He managed to squeeze a budget for roads from national treasury, building about 33 000km in five years.
How did one man accomplish this near-impossible feat?
It started with having what he called a “peoples’ audience”; each week members of the community with grievances pitched at a makeshift meeting hall.
He, together with a team including municipal managers and administrators, accepted written requests. These become official documents lodged with the relevant town authority.
Complainants then checked how their requests were progressing. Town managers were accountable and expected to address each and every gripe appearing on the documents.
Problems that came up are no different to the ones experienced by our communities: poor sanitation, ineffective policing, polluted water, electricity cuts, incorrect billing – and corrupt officials.
This small region has put the national government on the spot and as a consequence, it is forced to take cognisance of the will of the people – albeit a relatively tiny representation.
What makes this achievement all the more extraordinary, especially in the South African context, is that it’s being accomplished without having hordes taking to the streets. So, no disruptive traffic, no vandalism, no rubbishing and no looting of stalls.
Is this possible in SA? Why not? All it takes is someone to get us out of this quagmire of criminality, greed and incompetence.