Reducing provinces

THE reduction of South Africa’s provinces from nine to six – to improve service delivery – has been on the ANC agenda since its 52nd National Conference in 2007. But typical of the ANC, this is where it has stayed – in a book of minutes. Forgotten.

We cannot afford to have provinces, and by extension, municipalities that are dysfunctional, collectively billions of rands in the red, and doing nothing for people they are supposed to serve.

To be blunt, some of these municipalities are basketcases. They were set up for failure – established as part of a negotiated settlement when apartheid was defeated. Having them made no sense then. And in the economic whirlpool South Africa presently finds itself, they make even less sense now.

Though more than two decades late, our government still has a duty to deliver what democracy promised – a new beginning for all our people… a chance to recover from the brutality of apartheid… a fresh start… an opportunity to live in safety in houses with running water, close to an efficient public transport system and a chance to thrive.

BUT these things are not happening – for a simple reason: you cannot expect people who have nothing – no money and no jobs – to keep a municipality and, ultimately, a province running optimally.

It is encouraging the ANC wants to revisit proposals to reduce the number of provinces at its national conference at the end of next month.

In typical government waffle, it says in a policy document that “the ongoing assessment of the configuration of the state, in most cases, points to the need for a review of key policy and constitutional issues. Among others, these include the allocation of powers and functions, planning across government, the two-tier system of local government and the effectiveness and functionality of some provinces”.

It’s putting its toe in the water, when it should be taking the plunge. Understandably, it won’t be easy, and that reducing provinces will also reduce the government workforce drastically.

But the billions of rands saved can be used to create jobs outside the public service.