‘Citizens should pay for services’ – Ramaphosa

President Cyril Ramaphosa said while South Africans’ lives can only improve if local government challenges were addressed, citizens should also pay for services they receive.

The president made the remarks in his weekly newsletter, From the Desk of the President, on Monday.

South Africa has been grappling with service delivery issues as residents from various communities demand housing, water and electricity.

These demands have often resulted in volatile protests.

Citizens must play part

Ramaphosa said while efforts to improve the lives of South Africans will only succeed if the country effectively address the challenges, he stressed that citizens should also play their part by paying for services.

“It is imperative that municipalities must have credible, sustainable and well-managed revenue collection programmes that apply fair and equitable standards to all customers. Citizens should play their part by paying for services. All businesses and government departments must pay outstanding debt to municipalities.”

ALSO READ: Malfeasance in municipalities a threat to constitutional order – Ramaphosa

Auditor General report worrying

Ramaphosa said the Auditor-General’s Municipal Audit Outcomes for 2021/2022 released last week was worrying.

“It is worrying that only 38 out of 257 municipalities – and only two out of the eight metros – achieved clean audits. While clean audits are not the only indicator of good service delivery, there is a clear correlation between achieving good audit outcomes and improving services to communities.”

Underspending

The president added that while a number of municipalities state that they do not have sufficient funds to implement programmes and projects, underspending was also a contributing factor.

“In the last year, around 88 municipalities failed to spend at least 10% of their Municipal Infrastructure Grant, which is supposed to be used for eradicating infrastructure backlogs. Another challenge is that money that is not allocated for a specific purpose is often misspent.

“The people of South Africa expect and are entitled to local governments that are there to serve them and to uphold their right to dignity. All spheres of government are committed to play their part to make this a reality,” Ramaphosa said.

ALSO READ: Municipalities must be separated from undue political influence – Ramaphosa