Stofile was speaking in Durban, in the KwaZulu-Natal province, during the opening day of the two-day gathering, which brings together leaders from all 257 municipalities across the country. The assembly is intended to shape policies, strategies and innovations to improve governance and the quality of services delivered across all spheres of local government.
He emphasised that municipal performance and economic growth are directly linked, arguing that stronger local economies are essential for municipalities to generate sustainable revenue.
“Service delivery and the economy are two brothers, and you will not have financial resources to render service if the economy is not growing. That is why we are going to focus on that conversation today,” Stofile explained.
He said the assembly will engage with major industry players to better understand how economic activity strengthens municipal revenue.
“We are going to bring down people like Mercedes-Benz forward, and Volkswagen will have an idea of what the impact of economic municipality revenue is based on. This could be municipalities that are affected by electricity and water. So now, if we can bring other players to it, how will the outlook of the revenue of the municipality look?” he said.
Stofile added that discussions will also explore the impact of infrastructure challenges, including electricity supply and water systems, on municipal performance. By involving the private sector, SALGA hopes to assess how industry partnerships and improved economic conditions could help municipalities deliver more reliable services.
–SABC/ChannelAfrica–
