Elections

ELECTION 2006	MANIFESTO
MESSAGE FROM BANTU HOLOMISA, UDM PRESIDENT Dear Voter You will be overwhelmed during this campaign with countless different opinions about what the critical issues are that affect you at local level.There is immense tension and unhappiness at local level. The incompetence and lack of skills at local level has been aggravated by a lack of monitoring and assistance from provincial and national government. Huge budgets were handed to new and inexperienced councils and many unscrupulous people saw this as an opportunity to dip into the public purse and line their own pockets. After ten years of this neglect and mismanagement many communities have vented their frustrations in public protests. These protests are not intended to undermine the democratic gains we have achieved, but rather the cry for help of neglected communities.Our belief is that nobody knows better what you want and need in your municipality than you do. Our policies are based on certain fundamentals, but we do not intend to force them upon you without consultation.Whilst others might try to convince you that local governance is immensely complex, the UDM recognises that it all boils down to two fundamental issues, namely basic service delivery and fighting corruption.This manifesto contains a brief outline of the UDM’s principles on these two important matters. Your nearest UDM branch, your local UDM candidate, the UDM national office or the UDM website will provide you with greater policy details where you require them.Mostly this Manifesto is our statement of intent; the UDM’s pledge to you, our valued voter. Every UDM candidate in this election is bound by this pledge. I give you my personal assurance that if you vote for a UDM candidate that councillor will be held accountable to the highest standards.The UDM recognises that one of the biggest factors in the collapse of municipalities has been unresponsive and untouchable councillors. In many municipalities the councillors have become intent on gaining control of resources in order to reward themselves, their friends and families. It is a pity that many of these councillors have become arrogant and believe that their overwhelming electoral mandate is a licence to ride roughshod over the wishes of the voters and to treat their grievances with impunity. Their parties seem unwilling to address these issues of corruption, lack of service delivery and the absence of public participation and consultation. If we allow this trend to continue it will reverse the gains of our freedom and undermine democracy. I invite you to vote for the UDM and join me in ensuring that your local councillor is your servant and not the other way around. I undertake, on behalf of the UDM, to swiftly act against any UDM councillor that abuses his/her position or fails to serve the community.So join hands with the UDM, and together we can begin to improve your neighbourhood and your community.
SERVICES: WHAT YOU SHOULD GET We commit ourselves to: Local job creation and poverty alleviation UDM councils will actively pursue job-creation and fighting poverty. Where appropriate, councils must join in national and provincial job creation initiatives. But councils must also pursue their own economic development and job creation programmes. By joining hands with the community and local businesses, UDM councils will do everything in their power to encourage stronger local economies. We commit ourselves to: Community-led development The services you get will be the services that you want and need. A UDM municipality will not force upon you services and infrastructure that you do not need or that does not fulfil your most urgent needs. Consultation and public participation will be the hallmarks of UDM municipalities, and where we do not govern your UDM councillor will fight tirelessly for your voice to be heard in council decisions.It is your right to determine what mix of services will best suit the unique needs of your community. We commit ourselves to:· Water and sanitation The most fundamental of services provided by your municipality is water and sanitation. Every UDM municipality will ensure within its first term that every household in its jurisdiction has access to clean and reliable water and sanitation. We commit ourselves to: Electricity Access to electricity is critical for the social and economic wellbeing of a community. Lack of electricity is directly responsible for the massive pollution and regular fires in poorer communities. Electricity is therefore an important health issue. It is also a social issue. For instance, electricity is the difference between the child learning by candlelight and the child researching class projects on the internet. Therefore every UDM municipality will ensure within its first term that every household in its jurisdiction has access to reliable electricity. We commit ourselves to: Housing Strong communities are built on healthy households, and that means proper housing. Delivery of all services depends upon a decent dwelling to receive and support those services. Informal settlements and shoddy RDP houses will be phased out. environmental issues.
We commit ourselves to: Roads Roads are the arteries of every community; without them the economic and social lifeblood of the community cannot flow. The UDM recognises that roads are more than a issue of transport; roads connect neighbours and communities, employers and employees, children and schools, and the sick with healthcare. A UDM municipality will give a high priority to roads and related transport infrastructure - such as taxi ranks to ease congestion - which will simultaneously stimulate the local economy and create job opportunities for local residents. We commit ourselves to: Urban/Rural needs The needs of every community will differ and that is why the UDM has committed itself to community-led development. The urban/rural divide is one of the major differences between SA municipalities. We recognise, for instance, that a rural community dependent upon agriculture might value roads more than an urban community, where the need for formal housing might be a higher priority. The UDM believes that municipalities must have the power to adapt to local conditions and needs without being forced into pointless development and one-size-fits-all national policies. We commit ourselves to: Coordination with provincial & national services UDM councils will promote and support national and provincial services on healthcare, safety, social development and environmental issues.
SERVICES: WHAT YOU SHOULD PAY We commit ourselves to: Reasonable rates; you pay for what you get. Free water and electricity for the poor. No additional property rates/taxes; because taxing property punishes development and further prevents people from owning their own homes. Scrapping of all Apartheid-era arrears.
GOVERNING WITH INTEGRITY We commit ourselves to: Fair tendering and contracts No contracts for the friends or family of councillors or council employees. We commit ourselves to: Financial responsibility Regular audits and full public participation in the budget process. We commit ourselves to: Improving management and skills Appoint only competent people and invest in skills development for all council employees. In the interim, to address the skills-crisis the UDM calls for the deployment of competent administrators from provincial and national level to local level. We commit ourselves to: Consultation and accountability Your UDM council or councillor will consult you before taking decisions that affect you.