The South African Municipal Workers’ Union has urged the government to overhaul the municipal funding model, arguing that the current system fails to support service delivery.
The South African Municipal Workers’ Union says fixing local government requires a complete overhaul of the municipal funding model.
The union argues that municipalities rely too heavily on revenue collected from residents, while mismanagement and corruption continue to undermine service delivery. SAMWU says withholding funds and austerity measures will not solve the crisis and has called on government to address the systemic challenges facing municipalities.
Union General-Secretary Dumisane Magagula said: “What needs to change is the funding model of local government. Currently, the model does not speak to service delivery. It doesn’t enable municipality to deliver services. The funding model should not be over-reliant on collecting from residents only.”
Meanwhile, SAMWU held a National Day of Action on Thursday to highlight issues affecting municipal and water sector workers, including local government funding, wages, outsourcing and working conditions.