Pretoria - Local government is expected to raise its standards of employment, warning that it will not be used as an opportunity to hire friends and relatives.
Through the proposed Municipal System Act Amendment Bill, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister, Sicelo Shiceka, said local government hoped to tighten its employment criteria.
"We cannot allow people without skills and capabilities to be employed in municipalities, and the issue of employing friends and relatives must come to an end," he told the National Press Club on Tuesday.
Shiceka said the onus was on the MECs responsible for local government to intervene when unskilled people got employed. If not, the matter would be taken up by the minister himself.
Political office bearers were no longer going to be allowed to occupy strategic positions in municipalities.
Shiceka reiterated that after next year's local government elections, the positions of Municipal Manager, Chief Financial Officer, Human Resource Manager, communicator, town engineer and town manager should only be occupied by skilled individuals.
"We want to put in leadership which will make people happy by accelerating service delivery. We are aware that most municipalities are struggling because there are no engineers and town planners," he said.
The minister said he had reached an agreement with President Jacob Zuma that there would be a visible difference in local government and basic services such as water, electricity and sanitation by 2014.
Shiceka also sent a strong warning to private companies providing services to local government.
"The time for milking municipalities is over ... Those who get tenders and render shabby jobs will not be paid without the approval of the respective residents."
The no-nonsense minister said he had engaged different political parties on the issue of getting hard working ward councilors approved by communities after the upcoming local government elections.
"We don't want corrupt and lazy ward councilors in our local government ... We are also going to train the councilors extensively in order for them to hit the ground running," he said.
Shiceka said officials with cases against them would no longer be allowed to get off scot-free.
"Officials with a case to answer must not get a golden handshake and they must not resign before their case is heard so that they can face the music," he said.
The minister hoped the bill would be approved before the 2011 local government elections.
