WORLDVIEW: Why the Makana municipal victory won’t fix anything

The residents of Makhanda won an unexpected victory against the Makana municipality this year when a High Court judge ordered that the municipality's council be dissolved for failing to do its job..Makana, which includes Makhanda and the surrounding areas, suffered under years of mismanagement and neglect, culminating in sewerage leaks, piles of uncollected rubbish, potholed roads, water shortages, and air pollution. The municipality even neglected to pay Eskom, leading to the threat of the area's power being cut off..Fed up residents, led by the Unemployed People's Movement, sued and – surprisingly – managed to persuade the courts that the service delivery failures were a breach of the Constitution (specifically, the municipality's Constitutional obligations to provide services). The judge ruled that the council be dissolved, and an administrator be appointed by the Eastern Cape provincial government to clean up the mess..___STEADY_PAYWALL___.It sounds like something from an inspiring movie – a classic victory of small-town residents over their corrupt leaders, maybe. Duly inspired, other municipalities are now following suit and new lawsuits have been filed against other dysfunctional municipalities by frustrated residents tired of living with failing infrastructure, rotting rubbish, and unresponsive politicians..But there is a catch..The council is to be dissolved and the municipality to be put under the control of an administrator – but this is a stopgap until fresh elections can be held. And here's the rub. In the 2016 municipal elections, when things were already plenty bleak in Makana, the ANC waltzed to victory with over 60% of the vote. In the 2019 national elections, the ANC won over 63% of the Makana vote. It seems that not even the raw sewerage being pumped into the streets was enough for people to stop voting ANC..The reason? The same reason for the ANC's continued national dominance, despite its many and dramatic policy and administrative failures: there is no alternative. The DA and the FFP cut no ice with Makana's residents – or South Africans in general, as the last election showed – and the EFF hasn't gained more than a toehold..In the absence of viable alternatives, the ANC will continue to run things even when it runs them right into the ground. The Makana triumph could soon become a tragedy – the failed politicians ousted by the lawsuit could very well be re-elected when fresh elections take place. The same thing could happen in the 260-odd other municipalities that are failing across the country..This is the problem with seeking a legal solution to a political problem. The courts can dissolve the Makana municipality, but they cannot create a functional political party to replace the inept ANC. In a democracy, it is ultimately the electoral process that delivers our leaders, and no court order can give us a supply of good options. It's satisfying that Makana residents were able to force the dissolution of the council. But, like a zombie, the council is likely to rise again worse than before..Unless that is, Makana capitalises on a small ray of hope. According to reports, Makana residents are putting together a new movement to contest the next municipal elections. Rather than trying to build a national alternative to the ANC, the people of Makana are reportedly trying to build a viable local government out of skilled local people..This is a very, very exciting development – the kind of thing SA has been needing for at least 20 years: a group of ordinary citizens banding together not to engage in a grand economic restructuring but simply to do the basics. To collect the rubbish. To keep the lights on. To repair broken pipes. The most basic work of government – to provide collective services for the public good..A cross-community group of locals who can work together effectively could provide a revolutionary new model for South African politics. Rather than an ideological vanguard, this would be a movement focused on effectiveness, on delivering on the basics not reinventing the wheel. Such a movement could become a training ground for a new generation of technocratic, effective politicians and bureaucrats, who could build their skills locally and then apply them nationally..South Africa has far too much ideology and far too little implementation. The ANC is proving impossible to dislodge through the application of alternative ideology. A non-ideological citizen's movement focused on getting the job done could achieve what 25 years of bluster has not – forcing the ANC to compete on hard facts and achievements, not vision and promises. And a more competitive political environment would benefit everyone, regardless of ideology.

WORLDVIEW: Why the Makana municipal victory won’t fix anything

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