Our country’s infrastructure resembles a dangerously stacked house of cards ready to tumble at the slightest breeze. A sizeable number of roads are little more than a patchwork of potholes; in some areas, electricity flickers like a temperamental flame, and water management is a swirling vortex of disorder. This bleak reality is not confined to the sprawling urban jungle of major cities; it stretches its dreadful tentacles to the smallest towns and the most remote rural areas.
By Themba Khumalo
Municipalities in our country have become synonymous with dysfunction, neglecting their fundamental duties to repair the roads, provide clean drinking water, and ensure that the lights stay on.
This blatant dereliction of duty paints a concerning picture of local government, where the critical needs of the people are not merely brushed aside but callously disregarded, leaving many to shoulder the weight of this astonishing indifference.
It is hard to overlook the gravity of the situation: infrastructure like this is not just a luxury but the cornerstone of economic growth. Access to water and electricity is essential for businesses to function efficiently. At the same time, improved roads significantly boost movement and market accessibility. A 2018 Financial and Fiscal Commission report highlighted the connection, revealing that infrastructure investment boosts job creation and economic growth.
The responsibility for keeping South Africa’s essential infrastructure in tip-top condition and functioning, rests heavily on 257 municipalities, each a crucial link in the engine that is supposed to power the nation onward. It’s a pity that they have not been able to rise to the occasion, even as the national government has steadily increased funding for infrastructure development for over ten years.
A research document titled “A Review of How Municipal Infrastructure Delivery Management Flaws Hamstring Growth and Development in South Africa” exposed shortcomings in how municipalities allocate their infrastructure funds. They are not just making poor project choices, but are also failing to manage costs effectively. Deadlines and budgets are treated like mere guidelines, and the maintenance of current infrastructure is woefully inadequate.
The study revealed that municipalities are struggling with the planning and management of their infrastructure over the course of their entire lifespan. It urged municipalities to prioritise not only the launch of new projects but also the sharing of best practices and optimisation of existing resources. Additionally, it emphasised the importance of creating plans tailored to local needs and conditions, maintaining current assets, and revamping outdated structures that have long outlived their usefulness.
Delving into the document reveals an eerily bleak reality: for municipalities to properly build and maintain infrastructure, they must navigate a series of events, especially in the face of overwhelming challenges. Many municipalities are in a tough spot, facing a critical lack of qualified staff, grappling with funds allocated poorly, and often stymied by political interference and the tangled mess of bureaucratic red tape.
The national government, increasingly overwhelmed by the escalating dissatisfaction stemming from the rolling mismanagement of infrastructure funds, has, as highlighted in the report, repeatedly found it essential to intervene and oversee projects in various municipalities, typically through indirect grants. Nevertheless, in an unforeseen twist, this necessary intervention has led to a divide, as municipalities fail or refuse to adopt a true sense of ownership over the infrastructure.
This disconnection has bred a disheartening indifference towards infrastructure maintenance and care, leaving the community’s vital assets languishing in neglect and abandonment.
The national government must hit the brakes hard and reconsider its strategy regarding the challenges faced by municipalities, leaving behind the slapdash parachute approach that has been its modus operandi. The frantic rush to provide financial and technical assistance is in dire need of a thorough reassessment.
We must move past the endless discussions about municipal infrastructure in South Africa, which have become fixated on funding shortfalls, and confront the more pressing issues that remain unaddressed. These conversations often overlook the glaring weaknesses and the insufficient capacity of municipalities to manage infrastructure projects effectively.
Simply pouring money into municipalities for infrastructure does not guarantee the emergence of quality and sustainable projects. It is essential to compel municipal leaders to recruit and retain the right talent, as this is an urgent requirement for creating long-term solutions.
Despite the grandstanding around GNU as the cure-all for the nation’s ills, it is crucial to face the reality that it won’t magically transform the socioeconomic landscape—not by a long shot! Not when the public service sector resembles a derailed train, its wheels screeching and grinding in a chaotic ballet of incompetence.
The real disaster is not just at the national government level; it is at the local government tier where the damage is even more profound. Here, the promises of essential services for the most desperate often disintegrate, casting them adrift in a system that has completely abandoned its duty to care.
Let the curtain in this grand circus of political nonsense, where egos clash like colossal titans in a ridiculous display of bravado, be drawn back. It is high time these so-called leaders set aside their infantile squabbles and tackle the abysmal state of local governance. Their bloated egos are creating a toxic wasteland where there is complete alienation from the real needs and aspirations of the very citizens they claim to represent.