Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Zweli Mkhize has expressed concern at the high staff turnover in municipalities, saying the phenomenon is contributing to management instability.
The Minister voiced his apprehension during a meeting with board members of the Institute of South African Municipal Accounting Officers (ISAMAO) in Cape Town on Tuesday. The meeting was to explore areas of collaboration to promote good governance, efficient financial management and general management effectiveness in municipalities, the department said.
ISAMAO was launched in 2014 to professionalise local government management and administration with a focus on the municipal manager offices.
Mkhize said high employee turnover in municipalities affects the “preservation of institutional memory and contributes to management instability”.
He also noted that the position of a municipal manager attracts professionals from diverse professional backgrounds and qualifications, which creates a need to standardise the norms and standards for the position.
ISAMAO has agreed to strengthen its relationship with Cogta to support the Minister’s efforts to promote good governance and improve service delivery. The partnership will seek to enhance financial management and community relations by ensuring that there is skilled and well-prepared personnel to provide service delivery.
In order to achieve this, the meeting agreed to the introduction of an induction programme for new municipal managers.
The creation of a knowledge-sharing programme for municipal managers was also endorsed, including the development of management self-diagnosis tools to support service delivery improvement.
The meeting also proposed the processing and sharing of emerging local government data to support Cogta’s tailored Back to Basic programme interventions.
In an effort to improve professionalism in local government, Cogta has developed regulations to set standard procedures and competence criteria for the appointment of senior municipal officials.
Mkhize is currently meeting various stakeholders to garner their support for the Cogta intervention programme to support dysfunctional municipalities. – SAnews.gov.za
