We’ve all become so accustomed to government ineptitude that when a politician or official does what is expected of them, we seem to fawn over the action and heap praise on something that should have been done in the first place.
Last week the municipal leaders in the City of Tshwane and Johannesburg started a mass campaign to collect outstanding rates from businesses and government departments that have failed to pay the bill for years.
It was a move that was heralded as decisive and finally, we saw politicians acting against those that have held municipalities at ransom for a failure to pay what is owed. It’s no surprise that the move came from politicians belonging to the Democratic Alliance (DA) and ActionSA, who recently took over the municipalities and ousted the former ANC government from the mayoral offices in last year’s local government elections.
But as Justice Malala writes (for subscribers) why are we applauding people for simply doing their jobs? It’s indicative of the society we have come to accept as a norm when we find a need to celebrate those doing the bare minimum rather than to expect government officials to do their jobs.
“Yet, even as I applaud them, my heart is heavy. The bar is so terribly low. We are applauding them for doing the bare minimum that their predecessors failed to do. Somewhere in the organigram of the City of Joburg there is a department and individuals who, for the past 30 years, have been responsible for enforcing bylaws and ensuring that the city is clean, that buildings comply with regulations and that these buildings are not “hijacked”. What have they been doing all this time? Why does a member of the mayoral committee have to go to clean up Yeoville and reopen the library when there are people whose jobs it is to do so?” writes Malala.
We deserve better and we should demand better and when politicians start to falter in their basic duties, we should hold them to account and vote them out. We may be celebrating the officials currently overseeing Tshwane and Johannesburg but when they become complacent, let’s not let them keep their cushy jobs for years and years to the detriment of the citizens they should be serving.
Here’s a roundup of interesting opinions, analyses, and editorials:
LUKANYO MNYANDA: Lessons from Zambia point to a legacy Godongwana will want to avoid – Business Day (for subscribers)
HILARY JOFFE: Reflecting on the lessons of the upbeat 2007 budget – Business Day (for subscribers)
Scrap the sugar tax that harms black women canegrowers in particular – Mail & Guardian
Yanga Malotana: Zondo Commission report just the beginning of restoring trust in SA democracy – News24
Song will tear us apart, again — just the way Malema and AfriForum want – Daily Maverick
JAUNDRÉ KRUGER: Government’s job reservation red herring – Business Day
Image: Joburg Mayor Mpho Phalatse, Gallo Images
