READER LETTER | ANC will bring nothing new

The ANC is asking South Africans to give it another opportunity to fix municipalities that, in many parts of the country, have been struggling with poor service delivery, financial mismanagement, failing infrastructure and weak accountability for years.

If the ANC has had more than 25 years to improve local government, why should citizens believe that another opportunity will produce a different outcome?

Municipal government is where citizens experience the state most directly and expect reliable water, electricity, refuse collection, functioning roads, sanitation and properly maintained public facilities.

Municipalities cannot function effectively when political interests take precedence over competent administration, when infrastructure is allowed to deteriorate and when financial management is repeatedly weakened.

The solution cannot simply be to promise voters that things will be different after another election. South Africans need evidence of a new approach to governance.

Build One South Africa believes that local government requires competent leadership, consequence-based accountability, transparent financial management and a genuine commitment to putting residents first.

The responsibility for fixing local government does not rest with one political party alone. Every party that seeks to govern municipalities must demonstrate that it has the leadership, skills and integrity required to manage public resources responsibly.

South Africans should judge political parties not by their promises but by their record, their plans and their ability to deliver measurable improvements.

Communities deserve municipalities that work − not another election campaign built on promises to fix problems that should have been addressed years ago.

The time has come for a new standard of local government: people first, competent administration, accountability and service delivery. — Tsepo Mhlongo, Orlando East