THERE is no doubt that the media plays an important role in any democracy.

But since the privately owned mainstream regional and national newspapers are profit-driven they have no interest in publishing positive articles from small and medium municipalities.

Besides, they lack the necessary capacity to cater for the publicity needs of all municipalities.

So it is grossly irresponsible for Salsa to continue with its heavy reliance on privately owned media to publish municipal news, especially positive publicity.

Government and municipal officials' lack of transparency is an issue that needs to be tackled urgently. It is also one of the main causes of corruption in government institutions.

The situation has reached critical levels in some areas and warrants urgent intervention by the South African Local Government Association (Salga).

On the other hand many government officials are committed to the delivery of quality service to their communities.

But because residents are not adequately informed about these, they end up disillusioned and frustrated. Eventually they fall prey to opportunistic politicians who use them for their own gains.

Its time for Salga to transform municipalities by facilitating the enhancement of communication in municipalities by ensuring that residents in every municipal area receive constant and updated information on all projects and services undertaken by their municipalities.

Joe-Zak Khumalo, Ekangala