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Cape Town - Increased expenditure and councillor induction programmes will help speed up service delivery, Acting Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister
Nathi Mthethwa said on Tuesday.
More resources had been made available at local government level to accelerate delivery, he told the National Assembly during debate on his budget vote, according to a copy of his speech.
Municipalities currently received 8.7% of the revenue allocated to the three spheres of government. This was expected to rise to 8.9 percent in the next three years.
"The annual expenditure data from National Treasury, on aggregate, suggests that local government is not failing as dismally as perceptions suggest," Mthethwa said, comparing 1997 expenditure of R45.8bn to R232.6bn last year.
He said his department and the SA Local Government Association were collaborating on a councillor induction programme for this financial year. The programme was aimed at helping newly-elected councillors understand their leadership role and legislation regarding key municipal processes.
The Municipal Systems Amendment Bill, finalised last month, would ensure "competent and well qualified officials" were appointed. The Bill would make senior municipal officials more accountable to their councils and prohibit municipal managers and their direct subordinates from being political party office bearers.