24 June 2009

THE National Members Assembly (NMA) ended on a high note, with municipal leaders promising to commit themselves to speedy service delivery throughout the country.

More than a thousand municipal heads gathered for the two-day meeting at East London's Premier Regent Hotel to discuss a number of issues, including service delivery, the economic crisis and electricity distribution.

In a press conference held after the formal proceedings on Thursday, 11 June, the chairperson of the South African Local Government Association (Salga), Amos Masondo, said: "The assembly looked at current issues affecting the country, including the economic recession and the distribution of electricity to rural and urban areas."

Masondo is the executive mayor of Johannesburg.

At the meeting, the negative effects of the economic slowdown on municipalities was discussed, "since most residents lose employment and therefore might not be in a position to pay for their services, including rates and taxes", reads a Salga press statement.

Nonetheless, the assembly committed itself to doing everything possible to deliver services and promote development.

The Buffalo City Declaration was adopted on the last day of the gathering; in it, delegates committed themselves to serving their respective constituencies and the people of South Africa with "honesty, dignity and dedication".

Masondo said: "We make this declaration as the leadership of local government for the Republic of South Africa and all our people to know that we, as municipalities and organised local government, intend to do everything in our power to realise our common goals and ensure a better quality of life for all our people."

The assembly noted the various challenges facing local government, including community protests, attacks on councillors and remuneration for councillors, as well as the Councillors' Pension Fund.

Restructuring of the electricity distribution industry also came under the spotlight.

The National Members' Assembly was held on 10 and 11 June. Explaining its usefulness, Masondo said: "The assembly seeks to take important decisions regarding service delivery plans and the budget and it affords us [councillors] an opportunity to interact with government departments and other stakeholders."

Source: BuffaloCity