EDITORIAL | Until there’s political will to walk the talk, it’s just lip service

One area where such interference is clearly visible is in local government. When politicians involve themselves in operational matters, the results are invariably negative and felt far and wide because local government is at the coalface of service delivery. Overreach leads political leadership to undermine the very systems it is meant to protect.

Delivering his closing remarks at the ANC provincial executive committee lekgotla last week, Mabuyane reminded his comrades about the importance of politicians “staying in their lane”. He was the first to admit that politicians are destabilising municipalities, citing tender awarding as an example. Such statements are not new.

We have heard many similar remarks before, not only from Mabuyane but even higher offices too. To date, nothing much has been achieved. And we are almost sure we will hear the same sentiments regurgitated in this year’s state of the nation address on Thursday.

[paywall]

With all these statements having come from ANC leaders, the same organisation that has presided over the country’s many dysfunctional municipalities for close to three decades, we wonder what will make the leopard change its spots this time around. It also begs the question whether Mabuyane’s strongly-worded statement was just part of electioneering talk, given that local government elections are due this year?

[/paywall]