Little accountability in local government

THE most optimistic view of local government is that it resonates more with people compared to provincial and national levels.

But the reality is that local government is nowhere resonating with people on the ground as it is venerated but is riddled with myths that are related.

The most glaring myth that undermines all the hype of local government is the appalling lower turnout rates for elections at this level as exemplified in this 2021 round. One of the resounding reasons that accounts for this lack of interest in elections at this level is that voters hardly even know their councillors.

These are characters which are anonymous within their own communities and you only come to see them on posters when their parties are campaigning. They do not even have offices from where they function in these communities.

In many communities when do they ever become visible and call meetings to interact with citizens?

What they do is that once elected they disappear into councils and lose any touch they might have with community members.

There is simply no democracy in many if not all parties when it comes to the selection of these councillors. For example, the ANC has set up committees that will interview candidates for mayors. This appears to be a positive move. But what does it mean in real practice?

ANC voters choose, but the party has the final say in who actually will be at the helm.

It is impossible to calibrate where corruption is most rife: at the local, provincial or national level. But it is very clear that at the local level these officials are running amok because there is just no transparency as to who they are, let alone what they do.

The VBS scandal is exemplary of how these officials are out of order. They just patently broke the law precisely because nobody knew what they were doing.