Make local government work better
The 2006 local government elections have, correctly, been hailed as a great victory for the African National Congress and the democratic movement. In the face of predictions of mass desertion of the ANC by voters, the people of South Africa were emphatic in their support of the ANC as the leading force for meaningful change at local level.
On almost every indicator, the ANC's support grew across the country. The organisation received more votes, won more seats and secured more councils than ever before in a local government election. In this edition, we explore the results in some detail, situating them within the context of previous election outcomes. In doing so, we are able to identify the trends which we need to consolidate and the developments which will pose challenges to the movement as it moves forward.
The election results might have been the culmination of a long and hard-fought campaign. But more than anything else, they are the start of a new era in local government. What takes place after an election is far more important than what takes place before. For this reason, we have focused on some of the key tasks and challenges before the ANC in the fulfilment of its mandate to make local government work better for all.
There is always a temptation to place the task of implementing an electoral mandate solely on the shoulders of the newly-elected councillors, municipal officials and other spheres of the state. National government has made a firm commitment to strengthen local government, through, among other things, Project Consolidate and the provision of greater resources for local infrastructure development. These are important and critical interventions.
But they cannot be the extent of our effort to make local government respond more effectively to the needs of the people. The branches, members and other structures of the ANC, together with the structures of the Alliance, need to be leading agents for local democracy and development. It is not sufficient for the ANC and Alliance only to organise and mobilise in communities during election campaigns. The ANC is not merely an election machine, simply taking responsibility for getting its public representatives into office and turning its policies into government programmes. The ANC is a mass-based national liberation movement, responsible for mobilising South Africans to be active agents of their own liberation.
Therefore, any post-election plan must start with the branches of the ANC. As discussed in this edition, one of the most important immediate tasks of the movement is to revitalise and enhance the political life of ANC branches, including taking steps to ensure they are engaged in mass work among the communities in which they are located. This requires far more than simply addressing some of the negative tendencies which manifested themselves during the course of the list process. It means that an Alliance-wide programme of ongoing local mass mobilisation needs to be implemented, with the same focus and dedication that characterised the 2006 election campaign.
It means also, as President Thabo Mbeki indicates in this edition, that the newly-elected ANC councillors need to be given the support of the movement in the execution of their duties. Not only do they need to be reminded of the responsibilities they bear, but they need the practical assistance of branches and members in meeting those responsibilities.
The 2006 local government elections have signalled the beginning of a qualitatively new era in South African local governance. They have signalled the opening of a new front in the struggle to end poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment. The message we must now send is clear: All Cadres to the Front!
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