WE SIMPLY CANNOT IGNORE THE REALITIES ANY LONGER
I
t’s been 46 years since students across the country stood up determined to change the course of this country’s history and their futures that the apartheid government was determined to control and exploit for cheap labour. The peaceful protest that started that day ended in violent aggression. Many students needlessly lost their lives, some shot in the backs by aggressive policemen. But the world finally stood up in solidarity that year, supporting the students by voicing their collective disgust for the repressive apartheid laws and rulers. But even though more international sanctions were put in place and the apartheid government experienced ever-increasing instability as black resistance grew, it would take many more government-led massacres and another 14 years before some anti-apartheid political prisoners were free, and another 4 years before black South Africans had the freedom to vote in a new political dispensation. It’s been 28 years since that election; we have seen many black-led governments come and go, but the situation for young black South Africans hardly seems to have improved. High unemployment, a lack of access to quality basic services, education and schooling facilities are still a daily reality for our most vulnerable communities. We cannot ignore the growing number of shacks being erected as our housing programmes across the provinces still are unable to meet the needs of our people, and we cannot ignore that many of our children still go to school hungry. We can no longer afford to ignore the fact that while many government officials live in luxury, their constituents are sleeping out on the streets, gathered in spots within our suburbs hoping for a car to stop and offer them piecemeal jobs. We can no longer
SALGA National Office Menlyn Corporate Park Block B 175 Corobay Avenue Cnr Garsfontein and Corobay Waterkloof Glen, Ext 11 Pretoria 0001 Tel: 012-369-8000 Fax: 012-369-8001
SALGA Eastern Cape Berea Terrace Office Building First Floor, Suite 3 Berea East London 5214 Tel: 043-727-1150 Fax: 043-727-1156/67
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SALGA Free State SALGA House 36 McGregor Street East End Bloemfontein 9300 Tel: 051-447-1960 Fax: 051-430-8250
stand by and watch the growing number of tenderpreneurs living their best lives when our grannies are struggling to feed their families on social grants that simply don’t cover their needs. We should not be happy to send our children to schools where they must trek across dangerous rivers or streams, use pit latrines or share one desk with up to four classmates. We should no longer be allowing our municipal leaders to blame everyone else but their lack of political will and integrity as we queue to demand that our communities get electricity, proper sewage and waste management services, and while we struggle with the ever-increasing cost of living. We have our political freedom, we have a robust constitution and Bill of Rights that enshrines our collective rights to the access of certain services, however, our struggles, unfortunately, are still very real. While there certainly are pockets of success within our local government structures, it’s simply isn’t enough. And our nonperforming municipalities must surely be called out when they are unable to deliver basic services that our neighbouring communities enjoy. While SALGA has endeavoured to ensure our municipalities are equipped to do the job, who ensures that they actually do their jobs? It’s us, the students, pensioners, labourers, professionals, the unemployed, and civil society that must demand that things change. And when they change, we must collectively ensure that we are good stewards of those changes. In this issue, we highlight the challenges, but also take a deep dive into some of the innovative and brave leadership strategies in place within our communities that proffer a glimmer of hope that if we band together and employ ethical leadership, our future world can look differently for all our people. ▪ Raina Julies
SALGA Gauteng 3rd Floor Braampark Forum 2, 33 Hoofd Street Braamfontein 2017 Tel: 011-276-1150 Fax: 011-276-3636
SALGA KwaZulu-Natal 4th Floor Clifton Place Hurst Grove Musgrave Durban 4001 Tel: 031-817-0000 Fax: 031-817-0034
SALGA Limpopo 127 Marshall Street Polokwane 0699 Tel: 015-291-1400 Fax: 015-291-1414
SALGA Mpumalanga Salga House 11 Van Rensburg Street Nelspruit 1200 Tel: 013-752-1200 Fax: 013-752-5595
UPFRONT
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SALGA North West 56 William Street Witkoppies Klerksdorp 2571 Tel: 018-462-5290 Fax: 018-462-4662
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VOICE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
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