Sam Bambo launches his first book in style
Sam Bambo said the objective of the book is first to link the mandate of this sphere of government to its governance structure and system as well as its resultant performance.
POLOKWANE – Sam Bambo officially launched his first book, titled South African Local Government Challenges and Prospects, with a function held on Thursday night at Edu Park.
He said he was happy to see all the guests who were invited honour the invitation, and added the guest speakers were relevant on matters of local government challenges and prospects.
“I am grateful that the attendees were able to interact with the speakers as I feel this is indeed the beginning of unpacking all the challenges we face as a country in local government and prospects. I hope the book will draw some interest, as it aims to ensure that we try to help one another in terms of understanding and addressing various municipal challenges. We need to be objective when we address these issues. We need to review the powers of a municipal council as one of the measures to address the challenges,” Bambo said.
He told the Polokwane Review-Observer that the book will shed some light on various aspects of local government by discussing its evolution within its legal and developmental context.
He added how thrilled he was to have support from both academic and local government practitioners.
“We need to address the dysfunctionality we see in our municipalities, as well as the municipal council not taking the action when it is required to. I do not think the municipal council should have executive power. When I worked as a voter educator, we were sent out to preach the coming of the local government without receiving the final constitution or any concrete information, and I wrote about it. This is my first formal book, and I believe the book will contribute towards the development of local government and intergovernmental relations,” he explained.
Bambo said the objective of the book is first to link the mandate of this sphere of government to its governance structure and system as well as its resultant performance.
“The mandate, which will be elaborated in detail later, is derived from Section 152 of the Constitution of the South Africa and it will be necessary to see how this mandate is executed. Also, necessary to appreciate, is how the various stakeholders understand this mandate including the provincial and national spheres of government, which are required to monitor and provide support necessary to local government.”
Deputy Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Thembi Nkadimeng said the book Bambo wrote about challenges and lessons in local government should be read and appreciated by all scholars who intend to contribute to the sphere of local government.
“It is a very complex sphere with systematic problems, but it also offers brighter opportunities for us to learn. It was a privilege to be part of a book launch that sheds some light on a sometimes worrisome subject. The book covered the reality of how municipalities struggle in terms of recruitment, capability, spending, quality work, corruption, and maladministration. These are complex challenges that our municipalities face. These are not new challenges that plague our municipalities. That is why it is all about learning so we can answer the call to improve municipalities for the benefit of the people we serve in our communities,” said Nakadimeng.
