Busa calls on parties to act as servants of the people

Business Unity SA (Busa) has called on political parties in the hung/coalition metros and municipalities to commit to turning around the entities.

Busa CEO Cas Coovadia has appealed to parties involved in the end deals and processes “to rise above politics to act as servants of the people”.

“Our experience with coalition governments has not been a good one. These municipalities, if not well managed, could become unstable and it will be difficult to put them on a sound economic trajectory. We appeal to to all political parties in coalition governments to find common ground and deliver services to citizens and improve living conditions on the coalface.”

Various experts have warned that if maturity, commitment to deliver and the commitment to turn around the metros are not present, chaos would ensue. Metros are vital cogs in the economy, and clear and unambiguous policies on who is considered indigent and the application of such policies are critical. 

“All others must pay for services, even if at a sliding scale. Nonpayment must be dealt with within the law and municipalities must show consistency in applying the law. Affluent parts of society must also be serviced well, so that these citizens have the confidence to pay for services,” he said.

The focus for the new leadership should be on good governance, weeding out corruption, appointing capable people and creating the environment for businesses to start, grow and be profitable.

“We hope these parties will sort out governance, bring in appropriate capacity, deliver services and ensure these are paid for. Such revenue can then be supplemented by transfers from the national budget to expend on much-needed infrastructure maintenance and new infrastructure build,” said Coovadia.

He said resources and capacity must focus on “cleaning up” this sphere of government and professionalising it.