1st NATIONAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATORS FORUM ...

1st NATIONAL LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMUNICATORS FORUM “Bringing Local Government Closer to the People” Prepared by: GCIS MARCH 2017

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PURPOSE OF THE REPORT

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OVERALL SNAPSHOT OF THE REPORT

South African’s views on the mood of the nation - ‘direction of the country’ and challenges facing the country’.

Citizen’s views regarding government performance on some local government basic services COMMUNICATION & REMEDIAL PLANS

WILL HELP TO… Strategize towards local government expected service delivery especially in public consultations & improving the local government model.

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The NDP proposes that by 2030: •  ProporEon of people with access to the electricity grid should rise to at least 90%.

•  There should be full access to affordable and reliable water and sanita9on.

Given the complexity of naEonal development, the NDP:2030 sets out six interlinked prioriEes including: •  Promo9ng ac9ve ci9zenry to strengthen development, democracy and accountability.

•  Building a capable and developmental state.

NDP:2030 MTSF BACKGROUND

OUTCOME 9: RESPONSIVE, ACCOUNTABLE,

EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT LOCAL GOVERNMENT

The central focus of the 2014-‐2019 MTSF is on: •  Ensuring sustainable and reliable access to basic services, especially in weaker municipaliEes which have the highest unmet demand for basic services.

OUTCOME 12:

AN EFFICIENT, EFFECTIVE AND DEVELOPMENT-‐ORIENTED PUBLIC

SERVICE Key acEons for the 2014-‐2019 administraEon include: •  insEtuEonalising long-‐term

planning, forging a disciplined, people-‐centred and professional public service.

•  Empowering ciEzens to play a greater role in development and building an ethical public service.

SUB-‐OUTCOME 1: Members of society have sustainable and reliable access to basic services.

SUB-‐OUTCOME 6: Increased responsiveness of public servants and accountability to ciEzens.

SUB-‐OUTCOMES

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PRE-1994 Inferior basic services

POST-1994 Services rolled out to all South Africans as per the Constitution

STATUS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT (2014)

DCoG assessment of 278 municipalities. Criteria: §  Political stability §  Governance §  Service delivery §  Financial Management §  Institutional management §  Community satisfaction.

OUTCOME Identification of 3 municipal categories: •  Well Performing •  At Risk •  Dysfunctional

INTERVENTION Back to Basics programme aimed at building a responsive, caring and accountable local government.

WHERE WE COME FROM…

Easy SA statistics: Who do we serve?

•  The population of SA increased from 51.7 million in 2011 to 55.9 million in 2016. •  Age distribution indicates that SA is a young population. •  Gauteng remains the most populous province with a population of 13.4 million. •  Black Africans account for about four-fifths of the total population.

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Total SA population 2011: 51.7 MILLION

2016: 55.9 MILLION Total population grew from 51 770 560 in 2011 to 55 908 900 in 2016.

FEMALE: 51% (28 529 100)

MALE: 49% (27 379 800)

0 to 14 years = 30.1%

YOUTH 15 – 34 years = 36.3%

35 – 59 years = 25.7% 60+ years = 8.0%

BLACKS: 80.7% (45 109 000)

COLOUREDS: 8.8% (4 897 000)

WHITES: 8.1% (4 515 000)

INDIANS/ASIANS: 2.5% (1 386 000)

SA UNEMPLOYMENT RATE: 26.5%

PROVINCIAL SPLITS

Source: Stats SA Mid-‐year populaEon esEmates 2016 & Quarterly Labour Force Survey Q3:2016

GP 13.4M

MP 4.3M

LP 5.8M

NW 3.7M

NC 1.2M

WC 6.3M

EC 7M

FS 2.8M

KZN 11.1M

Importance of communications

ADVANTAGES OF COMMUNICATION

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IMPROVES THE NOTION OF PUBLIC CONSULTATIONS: •  This exercise “Batho Pele principles” but mostly brings

quality and equality to democracy. •  Coordination on service delivery needs will be

effective. •  Local economic growth to infrastructure maintenance

will be sustained effectively on cost over long term. •  People will feel consulted and will be encouraged to

participate in our democracy.

HIGH RISK TO PROTEST & DYSFUNCTIONALITY OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT: •  This may pose a major threat to South Africa’s

democracy. •  End part of it could result to political instability

and pose a serious safety risk to the country. •  High probability of infrastructure destruction

which result to more cost to local economic growth, therefore instability to local economic growth.

DISADVANTAGES OF NOT COMMUNICATING

Source: Ipsos Khayabus (May 2014) & Edelman Trust Barometer Global Report 2017

§  Trust is the foundation of a healthy and lasting relationship between the public and an institution.

§  For government, trust legitimises its actions and is important for the success of its programmes to improve the lives of people.

§  Ipsos findings showed that trust in our institutions, namely courts/judiciary, business, media and government continued to decline, a trend currently observed globally (Edelman 2017).

§  Though overall trust is dwindling, the 2014 Ipsos survey showed that South African’s trust in national government was higher than in all other institutions.

Trust in institutions

44

52

52

52

56

0 20 40 60

Local Government

Courts/judiciary

Business

Media

NaEonal Government

TRUST IN INSTITUTIONS

%

Trust is a g

ood indicato

r

of public co

nfidence,

social stabi

lity and the

preparedne

ss of ciEzen

s

to listen to

, absorb,

understand

, agree and

even suppo

rt

government

communicaEon.

Ques9on: How much do you trust the following insEtuEons to do or say the right thing?

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INCREASING AWARENESS & BUILDING CONFIDENCE IN GOVERNMENT PROGRAMMES & SERVICES:

PLATFORMS OFFERED BY GCIS

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9 9

MEDIA CHANNELS § Radio (90%): Ukhozi (26%); Umhlobo

Wenene (17%) & Thobela (15%)

§ TV (89%): SABC 1 (82%); SABC 2 (68%) & ETV (62%)

§ Outdoor media (78%) § Any newspaper (35%)

§ Internet (31%)

§ Community radio (24%)

ROOTED REALISTS

MEDIA CHANNELS § TV (95%): SABC 2 (73%);

SABC 1 (71%) & ETV (69% ) § Outdoor media (93%) § Radio (87%): Metro (25%);

Ukhozi (18%) & Lesedi (13%)

§ Any newspaper (54%)

§ Internet (51%)


METRO MOBILES


SABC 2 (76%) & ETV (71%) § Radio (88%): Metro (25%);

Ukhozi (22%); Umhlobo Wenene (16%) & Lesedi fm (16%)

§ Outdoor media (87%) § Any newspaper (48%)

§ Internet (44%)



SABC 1 (65 %) & ETV (61%) § Radio (87%): Jacaranda

(13%), RSG (12%) & Lesedi (12%)

§ Outdoor media (87%) § Internet (51%)



SAFELY SUBURBAN

MEDIA CHANNELS § TV: (95%) - SABC 2 (61%);

SABC 3 (54%) & ETV (54%) § Outdoor media (93%)

§ Radio (88%): 947 (18%); Jacaranda (16%) & Metro (16%)

§ Internet (63%)



COSMOPOLITAN CAPITALCITY SEEKERSS1 S4S2 S3 S5

GOVERNMENT SEGMENTS’ MEDIA CONSUMPTION

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KEY FINDINGS

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Ques9on: In your opinion , what are the three most important problems facing this country that government should address?

•  Government has identified the triple challenges facing the country; unemployment, poverty and inequality.

•  By comparison South Africans perceived unemployment, crime and poverty as the top three challenges facing the country during August-October 2016.

Source: GCIS NaEonal Tracker (Aug-‐Oct 2016) 11

PUBLIC OPINION: WHAT PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT

Observed common issues driving ‘wrong direction of the country’ & ‘challenges’

Unemployment/ No jobs

Crime Corrup5on

HOW GOVERNMENT LOOKS AT SERVICE DELIVERY? 1 2 3 More than just a provision of basic services

Provision of the best possible service to every South African whether in the public or private sector – hence service excellence is critical across all sectors.

Catalyst for change – better life for all

§  Enhanced quality of life through access to services

HOW GOVERNMENT LOOKS AT SERVICE DELIVERY?

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■ This approach is about gehng the fundamentals right – informed by the NaEonal Development Plan.

■ Supported by a number of legislaEon and policies that enables municipaliEes to perform their roles.

■ “Back to Basics” -‐ approach adopted by government in 2014 to ensure that municipaliEes perform their responsibiliEes at all Emes ■ Governance, public parEcipaEon, insEtuEonal capacity and financial management structures and mechanisms of local government

■ Despite challenges experienced along the way – South Africa today is a much beler place to live in.

■ Progress since 1994 has been mixed (increased demand & challenges). ■ A need to build on successes to date by working harder and smarter

PROGRESS IN SERVICE DELIVERY NOT BY CHANCE…

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GENERAL HOUSEHOLD SURVEY (Stats SA 2015)

Connected to mains electricity supply

Access to piped water

Household refuse removal

2002 2005 2015

77 81 86

56 88 89

57 61 64

GOVERNMENT SUCCESS IN BASIC SERVICE DELIVERY

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PERCEPTION: GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

Source: GCIS NaEonal Tracker & Stats SA Quarterly financial staEsEcs of municipaliEes (September 2016)

Ques9on: How well or badly would you say your local government or municipality is handling each of the following malers?

(Fairly well/very well responses)

72

67 67

59

75 74

69

59 61 62 61

51 51 47

45

37

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Oct12-‐Dec12 Oct13-‐Dec13 Oct14-‐Dec14 Aug16-‐Oct16

Providing clean drinking water to communiEes

Ensuring a stable supply of electricity

Ensuring the removal of solid waste

Including/consulEng people in the local government process

According to “Quarterly financial statistics of municipalities, September 2016”

Purchases of water increased by

6.3% Purchases of electricity increased by

13%

(Jun 2016 – Sept 2016)

Nee well responses

%

8

12

12

12

21

25

40

45

47

10

11

12

13

14

16

36

39

45

Called the presidenEal hotline for assistance

Wrote a leler/ called municipal official to complain/ raise your views

Thought about not paying your rates or taxes in order to protest

Wrote a leler/commented on social media

Alended a demonstraEon or protest march

Alended an Imbizo

Public meeEng call by your municipality

Street community meeEng

Community meeEng/ward meeEng arranged by your ward councillor

Jan-‐Mar16 Aug-‐Oct16

§  Consultation is expected to be a ’two-way’ process between government and citizens however, findings show that less than 50% of citizens indicated having attended any type of public meeting.

§  Public consultation increases the legitimacy and hence the quality and credibility of local government proposals. It allows for improved policies driven by community interest i.e. the public interest as opposed to the special interests of particular groups or parts of society.

§  Therefore, when consulting, the government seeks a comprehensive overview of differing interests, to make sure that its decisions are based on the best available information.

Ques9on: Which of these have you done personally during the past year?

Source: GCIS NaEonal Tracker

Sentiments on Public Participation

Less than 50%

Level of par9cipa9on

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•  Most feel that issues discussed at ward meetings usually do not have relevance for them, so they do not attend.

•  A few mention instances where ward councillor have not arrived for meeting which they f ind very discouraging.

•  Lack of feedback on previous matters resulting in low attendance and respondents say that meetings are merely a ‘show of face’

•  Invitations sent out late

•  Meetings tend to be overcrowded, not everyone given the opportunity to ‘state their case’

•  Issues discussed are never attended to, and are thus regarded as just ‘promises’

Source: GCIS National Qualitative Research (2015) (Focus groups)

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WARD COUNCILLOR MEETINGS: NON-ATTENDANCE

Attendance at ward meetings is low for the following reasons:

§  Since 2010, community TV viewership has seen an increase of about 32%. §  There was a slight increase (+11,5%) from 2010 to 2015 in community newspaper

readership. Please note however that Roots is not an annual survey.

§  Access to community media has increased in the past four years. This platform could be used effectively to carry ‘local content’ such as ‘announcements of community meetings, etc.

§  In terms of organisational affiliation, religious groups draw the biggest number of people.

Community Media & Involvement

Source: SAARF AMPS Jan-‐Dec (2010 & 2016), ROOTS (2010 & 2015) & GCIS NaEonal Tracker

Community Media Growth

2010 2016

Community radio

2010 2015

8 289 000

Community TV

Community newspapers

9 685 000

2 443 000 3 577 000

3 605 000 4 072 000

Ques9on: Please tell me whether you belong to any of the following organizaEons, and if you do whether you are not a member, inacEve member, acEve member or leader?

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UNDERSTANDING across municipalities Generally, there is confusion about the main role of ward councillors. Recognition that ward councillors are ‘the voice of the people’ (i.e. communication between municipality and community). Agreement that the ward councillor is the ‘go to’ person for queries requiring the municipality.

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Source: GCIS National Qualitative Research 2015 (Focus groups)

VIEWS ON EXPECTED ROLE include Be a ‘watchdog’ ( i .e. expected to be proactive)

Help with job opportunities especially for the youth

Provide healthcare facilities Ensure street lights work

Keep community informed of what is happening F e e d b a c k o n h o w allocated budget is spent Houses for the disabled Build a Children’s Home

Knowing the role OF COUNCILLORS…

PERCEPTION: PERFORMANCE ON SPHERES OF GOVERNMENT Ques9on: How well or badly do you feel that each of the following spheres of government is doing its job?

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45 43 42

34 34

27 24 23

16

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

FS KZN LP GP NW EC MP WC NC

%

40 39 38 37 36 34

26

21

16

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

FS WC LP KZN GP NW MP EC NC

% PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT

41 38

35 34 31

29

20 18

11

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

WC LP GP FS NW KZN MP EC NC

% LOCAL GOVERNMENT NATIONAL GOVERNMENT

Source: GCIS NaEonal Tracker (Aug-‐Oct 2016)

Nee well responses Nee well responses Nee well responses

Reasons for poor local government performance

Nepo5sm No feedback Fraud & corrup5on

Poor quality infrastructure

Na9onal view Na9onal view Na9onal view

Source: GCIS Tracker & GCIS NaEonal QualitaEve Research

POSSIBLE DRIVERS OF POOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCE Poor consultations – local government process

“They should share with us what their plans and ideals is, so that we could assist them. We want to be involved, they should be more Transparent.” (GP, Riverlea, Col, 35-‐49yrs, LSM 3-‐6,)

We want to know and to be kept updated in all maKers affecMng our ward and the township .That we should tell them things we want, things of concern to us. (NW, Makwassi, Bl, 50+,LSM 4-‐6)

The councillors must be the ones that tell us that the government wants to talk to us. They should arrange those meeMngs so that we should be together and plan.

Lack of skills & capacity

“The councillors do not come to the people…” (MP, Balfour, 25-‐39yrs, LSM 5-‐7)

“It basically boils down to two things; unskilled people and corrupMon. That’s it. They take a guy off the street to perform an engineer’s duty. Doesn’t work.” (Koffiefontein, Wh, 25-‐39yrs, LSM 5-‐7)

“When you manage to access them (councillors) they do not give you the kind of informaMon that you need so they are not fully equipped to cater for the needs of the community members (GP, Bedfordview, mixed races, age 35+, LSM 9-‐10)

“The councillor could not give the answer to the young person because he could not express himself in English he just ended up murmuring something.”(LP, Motetema, Blk, 40-‐54, LSM1-‐4)

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PERFORMANCE PERCEPTION of Government LEADERSHIP

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5 6

15 15

45 51

35 28

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Mayor of your municipality Local government councillor

Don’t know Neither bad/well Nett Badly Nett Well

%

§  Most South Africans feel that their councillors are not doing their jobs well compared to their municipal mayors.

§  Some of the reasons cited for poor councillor performance included lack of consultation (GCIS National Qualitative Research, 2015) – consistent with quantitative findings.

Ques9on: How do you feel that the following leaders are doing their jobs? Well or badly?

Profile of those who mentioned ‘fairly badly/very badly’ for local councillor

NC

75%

EC

66%

MP

58% Rooted Realist

60%

City Seekers 56%

Source: GCIS NaEonal Tracker (Aug-‐Oct 2016)

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1)  Consultation with communities on planning.

2)  Communication with communities on outcomes and progress made (commitments met).

3)  Active local representatives, who engage communities.

4)  Delivery of basic services.

5)  Maintenance of infrastructure.

6)  Responsive, effective Customer Service points.

SIX IMPORTANT COMMUNICATION HABITS OF EFFECTIVE MUNICIPALITIES

We need partnerships between government, citizens and civil society to better deal with issues that affect people on a daily basis if we are to move

South Africa forward.

Public trust and confidence can only be gained through effective & efficient service delivery coupled with consistent engagement

The strive for an excellent service to all is an ongoing challenge for government – the possibility is there given the achievements to date.

The public should continue to hold government accountable to ensure service delivery that is fair and not prone to abuse.

CONCLUSION

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THANK YOU

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Key Insights & Recommendations

❶

❷

❸

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Insight:

The mood in the country is generally negative and it is strongly driven by public perceptions of corruption and unemployment in the country.

Recommendation:

Government communication needs to change the negative perceptions of corruption and provide progress albeit slow on resolving unemployment.

Content: §  Corruption is a societal problem that must be fought by

everyone. Government has adopted a zero tolerance approach to corrupt activities in the public and private sector.

§  Share critical information pertaining to employment opportunities such as township enterprises, EPWP, CWP etc. and address other critical community related needs especially that could lead to protests.

Key Insights & Recommendations

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❷

❸

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Insight: There is poor uptake of government opportunities for participation by citizens i.e. community meetings and at the same time the public do not feel consulted/included.

Recommend: The public should be educated on their role and responsibility in local government democracy. Local government should ensure that communities are consulted in the planning process and provided feedback on progress made.

Content: §  Communicate positive achievements, e.g. service delivery

improvements - Municipalities have a good story to tell in building sustainable communities.

§  Communicate how destructive protests impact negatively on the economy of the country and municipality.

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