Local government elections in KwaZulu/Natal impossible: Report

PIETERMARITZBURG July 25 Sapa

By Micel Schnehage

An investigation into the feasibility of local government
elections in KwaZulu/Natal has declared it would be impossible to
hold a successful poll in the province on November 1.

The report, compiled by officials of KwaZulu-Natal's local
government and housing ministry, was obtained by Sapa on Tuesday.

In terms of the Local Government Transition Act, proclamations
in the provinces on outer boundaries, delimitation of wards,
determination of seats, as well as the powers and duties of
metropolitan governments, had to be promulgated three months ahead
of the elections.

KwaZulu/Natal would not be able to meet this July 31 deadline
due to problems in proclaiming 16 of the province's 61 transitional
local councils (TLCs).

A summary of the investigation's findings was presented to the
MEC for housing and local government, Peter Miller.

According to the report, elections could be held in 45
KwaZulu-Natal TLCs, which represented only 7.88 per cent of the
just more than three million registered voters in the province.

It said the outer boundaries of these 45 TLCs were in the
process of being proclaimed, but the proclamation of 16 TLCs
remained outstanding.

Of the 16 outstanding TLCs, eight had to be referred to the
House of Traditional Leaders, five had to be re-submitted to the
provincial committee for local government, while the remaining
three had not yet been submitted to the committee.

Other issues to be resolved before a successful election could
be conducted included the delimitation of wards.

The report said only 14 of the 45 TLCs for which boundaries had
been finalised had submitted their ward boundaries.

These were considered by the demarcation board who in turn
referred them back to the TLCs because their submissions were
unacceptable and could not be legally proclaimed.

"The finalisation of ward delimitation is pivotal to arranging
of the elections, and if this process cannot be attained within the
statutory time-frame, thistoo will make the holding of elections
on 1 November impossible," the report stated.

It was also highly unlikely the demarcation boundaries of the
Durban Metropolitan Council would be finalised before July 31, the
report said, adding it was doubtful the boundaries would be
determined even by the end of September.

"This also has a knock-on effect in that the final outer
boundaries of areas adjacent to the TMC (Transitional Metropolitan
Council) cannot be concluded pending finalisation of the
Metropolitan boundaries. For these reasons it is therefore patently
impossible to hold elections in these areas on 1 November," the
report said.

A summary of the investigation's findings would be tabled at a
MINMEC meeting in Pretoria on Tuesday between Provincial Affairs
and Constitutional Development minister Roelf Meyer and the MECs
responsible for the elections in the nine provinces.

MINMEC is a forum within the provincial affairs ministry
involving all the relevant MECs to discuss progress and problems
with regard to the local government elections.

Miller, who recently underwent surgery, is recuperating in a
Pietermaritzburg hospital and will not attend the meeting.

Reacting to the report, the African National Congress blamed
the Inkatha Freedom Party for obstructing the local government
election process in KwaZulu/Natal.

"Certainly if we were the majority party we would have ensured
that elections would be held," ANC local government spokesman
Michael Sutcliffe said in a statement.

"(Local government MEC) Peter Miller and the IFP leadership
have once again shown their inability to govern and have also
publically announced to the people of KwaZulu/Natal that they have
absolutely no confidence in their own ability to govern," Sutcliffe
said.