The SA Local Government Association (Salga) in Gauteng will push for legislation to have the municipal umbrella body recognised as a member of the Gauteng legislature.
This will compel the provincial government to consult municipalities more on matters that are actually the function of local authorities but that have been taken over by the province‚ said outgoing Salga Gauteng chairman and former executive mayor of Johannesburg Parks Tau this week.
He was speaking at the association’s provincial conference‚ held at the Emperors Palace Convention Centre in Kempton Park‚ east of Johannesburg.
The conference ends on Friday.
Currently‚ Salga has delegates in the National Council of Provinces (NCoP) but the association’s leadership in Gauteng appears to be angling for more representation and power in the legislature — the organ tasked with oversight over municipalities and which is able to exercise significant influence over local authorities.
“There should be a piece of legislation that recognises Salga as a member of the (provincial) legislature‚ so that the provincial government consults municipalities‚” said Tau.
He questioned why the province or national government should have traffic police when traffic regulation or traffic law enforcement was a municipal function.
“We can’t leave such matters unresolved because the people we are talking about are our comrades. We have to speak on behalf of (Salga) member municipalities‚’” he said.
Tau had earlier said that serving in Salga “is not easy” because‚ even as an African National Congress (ANC) leader‚ he had to speak “uncomfortable truths” to the government led by his party in order to advance the interests of municipalities.
Meanwhile‚ Salga Gauteng is adamant that the e-tolls battle is not over.
Despite an advisory panel having found that electronic tolling on the province’s major freeways would have a negative impact on mainly poorer and middle class residents and subsequently proposed measures to limit that impact‚ Tau told Gauteng councillors that they should continue to seek a replacement for the system.
“As local authorities‚ we have a responsibility to continue debating the impact of e-tolls on our municipalities ... and to continue to search for alternatives‚” said Tau.
In a rather frank assessment of Gauteng municipalities’ use of land to transform historic spatial planning‚ Tau said provincial local authorities performed unsatisfactorily.
“The extent to which we have employed land use to reverse apartheid spatial planning leaves a lot to be desired.”
Tau criticised the trend towards “suburbanisation“‚ arguing instead for greater densification of cities which would allow for the easier and cost-efficient provision of basic services to residents.
– TMG Digital/Sowetan
Tau wants municipalities to have a voice in Gauteng’s legislature
The SA Local Government Association (Salga) in Gauteng will push for legislation to have the municipal umbrella body recognised as a member of the Gauteng legislature.
This will compel the provincial government to consult municipalities more on matters that are actually the function of local authorities but that have been taken over by the province‚ said outgoing Salga Gauteng chairman and former executive mayor of Johannesburg Parks Tau this week.
He was speaking at the association’s provincial conference‚ held at the Emperors Palace Convention Centre in Kempton Park‚ east of Johannesburg.
The conference ends on Friday.
Currently‚ Salga has delegates in the National Council of Provinces (NCoP) but the association’s leadership in Gauteng appears to be angling for more representation and power in the legislature — the organ tasked with oversight over municipalities and which is able to exercise significant influence over local authorities.
“There should be a piece of legislation that recognises Salga as a member of the (provincial) legislature‚ so that the provincial government consults municipalities‚” said Tau.
He questioned why the province or national government should have traffic police when traffic regulation or traffic law enforcement was a municipal function.
“We can’t leave such matters unresolved because the people we are talking about are our comrades. We have to speak on behalf of (Salga) member municipalities‚’” he said.
Tau had earlier said that serving in Salga “is not easy” because‚ even as an African National Congress (ANC) leader‚ he had to speak “uncomfortable truths” to the government led by his party in order to advance the interests of municipalities.
Meanwhile‚ Salga Gauteng is adamant that the e-tolls battle is not over.
Despite an advisory panel having found that electronic tolling on the province’s major freeways would have a negative impact on mainly poorer and middle class residents and subsequently proposed measures to limit that impact‚ Tau told Gauteng councillors that they should continue to seek a replacement for the system.
“As local authorities‚ we have a responsibility to continue debating the impact of e-tolls on our municipalities ... and to continue to search for alternatives‚” said Tau.
In a rather frank assessment of Gauteng municipalities’ use of land to transform historic spatial planning‚ Tau said provincial local authorities performed unsatisfactorily.
“The extent to which we have employed land use to reverse apartheid spatial planning leaves a lot to be desired.”
Tau criticised the trend towards “suburbanisation“‚ arguing instead for greater densification of cities which would allow for the easier and cost-efficient provision of basic services to residents.
– TMG Digital/Sowetan
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