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Views and opinion
Time to rethink how cities and towns are managed
by Jean Venter, Institute for Local Government Management
It is often said that we need to get back to basics, and that we need to re-invent and refresh tired processes and value propositions. Increasingly, these directives are aimed at local government, which is ultimately responsible for our most immediate and life sustaining civil services.
Click here to read the full article
The form and function of local government is shaped by more than 40 acts of parliament and many more provincial ordinances. Above this, the other two spheres of government, as well as parastatals such as Eskom and the water boards, are all setting dictates and agenda of their own. To top it all, society is changing, expectations are changing, standing in queues is no longer acceptable, and we want services that do not attract citizen complaints, all in an era of instant and online everything and mobile to boot.
Bureaucratic complexity costs money to manage. Complexity is unproductive and wasteful, and takes many years of experience and skill to master. It is interesting to note that the government insists that municipal managers must be appointed on short term contracts. The very people who are tasked to steer these ships are discouraged from taking on these challenges as a career or long term professional mission. This is said to be so to allow each crop of newly elected politicians to select one of their own to ensure executive loyalty. The combination of rural economic stagnation, legal complexity and short-term thinking are strangling the majority of councils in South Africa, unable to accomplish their basic mission.
Local government has become a dumping ground for the desperate and the reckless, who are willing to take a quick risk, make a quick buck and then move on, often in disgrace. This needs to change. Local government cannot afford to be an employer of last resort. Local government is quick to blame a skills shortage, implying that if we can't get anyone to work for us, there has to be a skills deficit. Yet, wiser men and women prefer employers who can offer not only solid remuneration but also a stable environment, respect, and personal fulfilment. Above all, our towns and cities must be places where people of ability want to live, where the environment is pleasant and their families can grow up in a healthy way... (more)
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Invitation
2015 South African Flameproof Association Symposium
The Executive Council of the South African Flameproof Association (SAFA) announces the 2015 SAFA Symposium.
DATES: 28 to 29 October 2015
VENUE: Khaya iBhubesi, Free State
TIME: 08h00 to 17h00
Click here for registration, programme, exhibition, sponsorship and accommodation details.
The theme of this year's Symposium is "HazEx Compliance in the Interest of Safety", and the aim is to share knowledge and information on explosion prevention.
SAFA also invites you to join the "Night out in Africa" dinner to celebrate the winners of this year's SAFA Awards of Excellence on Wednesday 28 October 2015. The night will be dedicated to the key players in the industry, their outstanding contributions and everything they embody.
SAFA is a non-profit association of companies involved in explosion prevention/protection techniques for equipment used in hazardous atmospheres in industry and mining.
SAFA has branches in Gauteng (Johannesburg), KwaZulu-Natal (Durban) and the Cape (Cape Town), with almost 200 member companies, including end-users, manufacturers, relevant government bodies and equipment testing houses.
For further information, please visit the SAFA website, or contact SAFA on Tel: 011 061-5000, Fax: 086 688-7005, Email: safaservices@vdw.co.za
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