Tensions in South Africa’s water sector have escalated following the recent National Water and Sanitation Indaba, where the South African Local Government Association raised serious concerns about the erosion of cooperative governance and constitutional principles. Amid growing service delivery challenges, SALGA is calling for lawful, inclusive, and accountable collaboration between all spheres of government to ensure sustainable water management and protect public trust. The CEO of SALGA, Sithole Mbanga joins CNBC Africa for more.
Tensions in South Africaâ²s water sector have escalated following the recent National Water and Sanitation Indaba, where the South African Local Government Association raised serious concerns about the erosion of cooperative governance and constitutional principles. Amid growing service delivery challenges, SALGA is calling for lawful, inclusive, and accountable collaboration between all spheres of government to ensure sustainable water management and protect public trust. Joining me now to discuss is the President of SALGA, Begi Charles Stofile. Begi, thank you for making the time to speak to us today. I think a good place to start would be if you just describe SALGAâ²s current working relationship with the Department of Water and Sanitation. Thank you very much, and greetings to your viewers here at home and in the continent of Africa. Okay, let me start by saying we are obligated by Act of the Republic Constitution, which is the Supreme Law of the Republic, that compels all different spheres of government to work together to work together collaboratively. And of course, this is informed by the history of South Africa, that we know that there is always weakness if you singly work alone without working with others that are involved in the government. And with relations really with the department, I donâ²t really want to say itâ²s good or we are working well. We have met in August, I think, as we have said as an organization in our statement, and it was more or less agreed that there would be a need of having a cooperative engagement between ourselves and the department in looking into the challenges that are faced by local government. We said this because the constitution does encourage cooperative governance in dealing with the complex challenges and negotiators of constitution realize that each sphere wonâ²t be able to address the challenges that are faced by communities and thereby encourages the cooperative governance. And unfortunately, we have not had such an indirection except the last August and until we meet now in Darbar on the 27th and 28th. And of course, what we said, we are a little bit taken aback because we thought that we can build in building partnership and in building cooperation in resolving the complex challenges that are faced by local government. What does Salka believe are the root causes of the breakdown in cooperative governance in the water sector? I will assume there is a big problem in South Africa. A big problem in the sense that probably we donâ²t really understand very well what is cooperative governance. What we have instilled is a competition amongst government and those that are in the other spheres believe that local government is a very inferior place where the problems are and therefore they and therefore they donâ²t see reasons why they should interact and engage local government. And this, it can be tested by a plethora of information that is in our disposal that for the fact that you arrive to a point that you allocate only 10% of the fiscals and then you assume that 90% will come from local government. That reflects how we view over time the local government. How did we arrive to this point? We thought that between ourselves and the department we at least understand each other because we always argue that there is no real space in heaven or above your head. Every space is in the local government and therefore the constitutional drafters they were very spot on that you need these spheres of government to interact, collaborate in resolving the challenges instead of acting like we are in the beauty context. Who is the most performing than others? All of us were meant to be government to act together in resolving the challenges and problems that communities are facing. Then looking specifically at the events that transpired at the Indaba that took place on the 27th and the 28th, do you believe that the ministerâ²s statements at the Indaba represents a broader trend of sidelining local governments in national planning processes? Our belief is that because all of us we are counselled, we are a municipality, we are a national government, we are a provincial government, we are a minister, we are a member of parliament. You did not become a member of parliament out of the blue. What it betests you to become a member of parliament is the constitution. The constitution as a supreme law of the land, it encourages and fosters interest in all spheres of government to work collaboratively. What is very worrying in these developments is that, for instance, in South Africa, we are sitting on the debt owed to municipalities at 388.5% and debt owed by municipalities to other entities like water and electricity and other businesses. It stands at R117.5 billion. What does that mean? It means it is important as you deal with the issues that pertain to water, it is important to be systematic and to draw in partnership and have a conversation on how to deal with this matter. This is the issue. Probably we are seeing a little bit of weaknesses in terms of collaborations. What we see that is emerging over time is that the other spheres of government, they feel that this is what needs to be done to local government. I think to me that is an unfortunate thing generally that is happening in the sector. We are seeing this is growing. We are seeing that is done by water. We will be seeing that done by the national treasury or finance department and another department when it comes to local government. I must say, yes, we are having some engagement and conversation with the Ministry of Electricity and at least it does engage us on matters pertaining to the electricity distribution in our municipal space. But yes, the answer is that we are worried about what we are seeing, the gap in so far as understanding the reasons why we are to collaborate and work together as a single government rather than a competitive government and competing amongst ourselves. Very quickly, my final question to you is what do you think or what tangible steps does Salga believe or would want to see the Department of Water and Sanitation do or take immediately to restore trust? What we believe that needs to happen is to do exactly what we thought we are in the right track in August. That there is no panacea in resolving the challenges and complexities that are faced by local government. You can go to court and you win the battle in court. The reality of the matter, the financial status of a municipality will remain the same. The municipality won't be able to pay whatever that you have won to court because your assumptions that you have made that 90% of the revenue of a municipality will come from rate payers or individual households, it will never come because you have taken them to court. The reality of the matter is that you need then to come into a reality that we need to have a conversation. That is why we are believing as Salga that it is true that we need to focus on the problem at hand and build what can be the best solution into the problems that we have experienced over a period of time. And of course we are as an organization that we have to be trust by our own constitution on the cooperative nature of our government and the belief that it's true cooperative nature that will be able to address the challenges that we're facing. That is why we are expecting the minister as we wrote a letter that there is a tariff increase that is ranging between 15 to 18 percent which is much bigger to be taken by households. Now if you look into that, its impact to the households and its inability of households to pay that to government is going to raise that envelope as I've said is 388.5 billion and I mean 3.88 billion rent that is owed to municipalities by government business and households. So we are looking forward to have a conversation about these matters. Of course we'll be having areas of disagreement but we are compelled by law, constitution of the republic to find solution on areas that we disagree. Right so we'll hold it there for now. We have of course reached out to the minister of water and sanitation to respond to this issue as well. We hope to be able to speak to them soon. But for now thank you for your time and thank you for your comments. That was the president of Asalga, Beke Charles Stofile.
Theme: Advocacy for Collaborative Governance in South Africa's Water Sector
In recent developments, tensions in South Africa's water sector have intensified following the National Water and Sanitation Indaba. The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) has raised serious concerns about the erosion of cooperative governance and constitutional principles. With mounting challenges in service delivery, SALGA is advocating for lawful, inclusive, and accountable collaboration among all levels of government to ensure sustainable water management and uphold public trust. The CEO of SALGA, Sithole Mbanga, addressed these pressing issues in a recent interview with CNBC Africa. During the interview, President Begi Charles Stofile shed light on SALGA's current working relationship with the Department of Water and Sanitation. Stofile emphasized the constitutional mandate for different spheres of government to collaborate in tackling challenges collectively. He highlighted the historical context of South Africa, underscoring the importance of joint efforts in governance. While acknowledging previous engagements with the department, Stofile expressed disappointment over the lack of sustained cooperation. The president underscored the essence of cooperative governance in addressing complex community issues effectively. Stofile further delved into the root causes of the breakdown in cooperative governance within the water sector. He pointed out a prevailing perception of local government as inferior, leading to a diminished role in national discussions. Stofile stressed the crucial role of equitable resource allocation and genuine collaboration among government entities to overcome systemic challenges. Amid challenges faced by municipalities in debt recovery and service provision, SALGA advocates for a shift towards a more unified and cooperative governance approach. The interview also touched on the minister's statements at the recent Indaba, raising concerns about potential sidelining of local governments in national planning processes. Stofile highlighted the need for comprehensive dialogue and coordinated planning to address the mounting debt owed to municipalities. SALGA expressed apprehension about the growing gap in understanding the significance of collaboration and working together as a cohesive government entity. In outlining tangible steps for rebuilding trust, SALGA proposed a return to cooperative engagement and meaningful dialogue. Stofile emphasized the limitations of legal battles in resolving deep-rooted challenges, emphasizing the imperative of collective problem-solving. By aligning with constitutional principles of cooperative governance, SALGA seeks to address disparities in tariff increases and financial burdens on households. As SALGA continues to advocate for collaborative governance and effective partnerships in the water sector, the organization remains committed to upholding constitutional ideals and promoting sustainable management practices. The call for inclusive and accountable cooperation resonates as a cornerstone in addressing the intricate challenges faced by local governments in South Africa's water landscape.
"What we see that is emerging over time is that the other spheres of government, they feel that this is what needs to be done to local government. I think to me that is an unfortunate thing generally that is happening in the sector."
['SALGA', 'South Africa', 'water sector', 'local government', 'cooperative governance', 'constitutional principles', 'sustainable management', 'public trust']