Fixing local politics starts inside parties

Stronger intra-party accountability is needed in government

- Stuart Morrison

True colours: The writer suggests that there needs to be an attitude change within the structures of South African political parties, putting emphasis on ethics and leadership training for candidates. Photo: Delwyn Verasamy

(Delwyn Verasamy)

n 14 September, President Cyril Ramaphosa called for greater accountability in local government. He emphasised the need for a stricter vetting process for ANC councillors and stronger performance management.

His remarks were met with mixed reactions. Some welcomed the call from the president while others dismissed it as “election-talk” with the president having no intention of making this actionable.

Such scepticism reflects a wider crisis of mistrust in local government across South Africa.

In Afrobarometer’s Round 9 survey 45% of respondents indicated that they did not trust their local government council at all.

Similarly, 64% of respondents disapproved of the way local councillors have performed in the past year.

These figures represent the need for greater accountability.

However, the discourse is often oriented around citizen-led accountability while not enough is said about how to strengthen intra-party accountability, especially given our electoral system of proportional representation.

Party politics make up a key component of South Africa’s democracy. Not only do political parties hold considerable power at a national level, such as their responsibility to choose the president, but also at a local level, where they play a pivotal role in the governance of municipalities.

This is due to the fact that most voters choose a political party rather than individual representatives (though they now have the option of the latter, a very recent feature).

Functionally, then, accountability is derived directly from the parties themselves, as opposed to citizens.