ANC+2006+Local+Election+Manifesto

== =ANC 2006 MANIFESTO=

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

 * POWER TO THE PEOPLE THROUGH DEMOCRATIC LOCAL GOVERNMENT!**

Throughout its 94 years of struggle, the African National Congress has fought for the voice of the people to prevail. It has fought for the achievement of a democratic state and a democratic society. It has fought for the principle that the people shall govern.

We have an opportunity further to give meaning to this principle in the 2006 third local government elections since the advent of democracy in 1994, the second since our new democratic local government system was established five years ago.

We have an opportunity to enhance and deepen local democracy. We have an opportunity qualitatively to improve the participation of citizens in the process of decision-making, in the allocation of resources, and the identification of local needs and priorities.

We have an opportunity further to put the people at the centre of development, not merely as beneficiaries, but as drivers of transformation.

During the first five years of democratic local government we have worked together to change the lives of all our people for the better. We have achieved a great deal already. But much more needs to be done.

Building on our achievements and drawing on the lessons derived from our collective experience, we can move even faster and further to realise the goal of a better life for all.

We are determined to halve unemployment and poverty by 2014, to provide the skills required by the economy, and ensure that all South Africans are fully able to enjoy the full dignity of freedom. Effective, democratic and accountable local government is an integral part of that vision.

That is why the ANC has developed a plan to make local government work better for you. Working together with our national and provincial governments - and ensuring the participation of the people - local government will speed up the delivery of free basic services, build sustainable human settlements and viable communities, improve all public services, build infrastructure, create job opportunities and fight poverty.

We will work to ensure that councillors are responsive, accountable and effective, and that everybody involved in local government understands and honours the duty to respect and serve the people. Working together, we will build better communities.

I call on you to vote ANC on 1 March 2006, so that together we achieve new advances in building a better life for all.

President
 * Thabo Mbeki**

USE YOUR POWER TO BUILD YOUR COMMUNITY
The local government elections on 1 March 2006 offer an important opportunity for you to help build a better South Africa.

Five years ago we set up a new system of local government. For the first time, South Africans voted for truly democratic and non-racial councils, which covered the entire country. In the past five years, our councils have registered remarkable achievements. We have also learnt many lessons. Building on this experience, together we can make local government work better for all.

The ANC has a concrete action plan to change our country for the better. Local government must be in the frontline of that change. On 1 March, you will have an opportunity to choose Municipal Councillors who will play this role. You have a chance to select the best organisation and the best candidates to lead your community towards a better life.


 * SOUTH AFRICA IS CHANGING FOR THE BETTER**

Although there is still a lot of work to be done, many good things have happened since the first democratic elections in 1994.


 * More people than ever have access to clean water and have electricity in their homes.
 * The government promotes the interests of children, persons with disability, youth, women and older people better than before.
 * More people have opportunities to improve their lives, to become educated and acquire skills, and to help build a better South Africa.
 * The economy is growing and is creating more jobs, enabling us to reduce poverty.
 * More South Africans have gained access to housing, land and education, and services in clinics are improving.

A PEOPLE'S CONTRACT TO CREATE WORK AND FIGHT POVERTY
In 2004 we celebrated Ten Years of Freedom. In our Third General Election, South Africans gave the ANC a mandate to move faster in building a better South Africa.

In our Election Manifesto, we pledged ourselves to a vision for 2014 - to build a better South Africa during the Second Decade of Freedom. The ANC believes that working together in the next ten years, we can build a South Africa where:


 * A growing economy will enable us to reduce unemployment and poverty by half.
 * The economy will have the skills it needs to grow and our people the education they need to find employment.
 * Everyone will have access to water, electricity and sanitation.
 * Every South African will be able progressively to exercise their constitutional rights and enjoy the full dignity of freedom.
 * There will be fairer distribution of land.
 * There will be compassionate government service to the people.
 * Health services will be better for all and fewer people will be victims of such causes of death as violent crime, road accidents, HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis, diabetes and other diseases.
 * Serious and priority crimes will be reduced, and the time for accused persons to await trial will be reduced.
 * Our country will be an effective force in international relations, and contribute to peace and development in Africa and the creation of a better world.

CONCRETE STEPS TO BUILD A BETTER LIFE FOR ALL
To achieve these goals, the ANC government has developed a detailed programme, which is strictly monitored to ensure implementation. Though economic growth has picked up to a level not seen since 1984, more needs to be done to make sure that all South Africans experience a better quality of life.

To do this we have identified the things that hold back higher rates of investment, growth and job-creation; and we have put in place a programme for accelerated and shared economic growth. We are confident that, working together with labour, business and communities, we will reach our targeted growth rate of at least 6%. Of great importance, we want this growth to benefit the unemployed and the poor.

Over the next five years government will invest more than R400 billion in infrastructure to create jobs and fight poverty, building roads, rail networks, dams, electricity generating plants and communications infrastructure. This will help attract more investment from business so that more jobs can be created.

The infrastructure plan will also ensure that:


 * By 2010, when South Africa hosts the Soccer World Cup, all households will have access to clean running water and decent sanitation.
 * As we celebrate the centenary of the ANC in 2012 every house will have access to electricity.

Working together, South Africans can do all these things. The ANC is ready to play its role.

By supervising the work of all our public representatives in government, we will ensure that these tasks are met. By improving the capacity of all government structures to serve the people, we will make government work better for you. By fighting corruption and arrogance among some who work in government, the ANC is determined to respect the people's mandate.

But all of us have a contribution to make as citizens, as organisations and as members of our communities. Achieving the vision of a better life for all depends on each one us doing their best to succeed. That is why we have called for a People's Contract to Create Work and Fight Poverty.

WHAT IS THE ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN REALISING THIS PROGRAMME?

Local government works closest to the people. It is where each of our plans must be put into practice. It must therefore be an effective instrument for change.

The election on 5 December 2000 was the first fully democratic local election in South Africa. The system of local government we put in place five years ago gives you the opportunity to participate in government and the development of your community.

South Africa's system of local government is one of the youngest and most democratic in the world. Although much more needs to be done, and although change has come faster to some areas than others, many communities around the country have seen positive change in the last five years:


 * Roads have been tarred and streets lit for the first time.
 * Water and electricity have become more accessible than ever before.
 * More houses have been built.
 * Local services like waste removal have improved.
 * Free basic services have been provided to many.
 * Sporting and recreation facilities have been built.
 * Local government offices have become more effective in meeting the needs of the citizens.

While we are pleased with these achievements, we have also taken action to learn from our experience of the last five years. During our 2004 election campaign and in community meetings across the country since then, we have heard the views of the people. You told us about the challenge of ensuring that our policies are properly implemented at local level.

A number of municipalities face serious challenges in the delivery of basic services. Many do not have the capacity they need to lead economic development. In some areas councillors and officials have done wrong things, serving their own personal interests rather than the interests of communities.

To build on the progress made, and to correct the weaknesses, the ANC will act decisively. The ANC will improve interaction with communities to ensure that we join hands in actual practice to build a better life.

THE ANC HAS AN ACTION PLAN TO MAKE LOCAL GOVERNMENT WORK BETTER FOR YOU

The ANC is determined to make local government work better. We have a plan to achieve this.

The ANC government has identified a number of municipalities that need intense, hands-on support. We have assembled high-calibre teams, which are being deployed to work with municipalities to tackle the problems they face.

Through this hands-on programme, called Project Consolidate, the ANC will ensure that national and provincial governments work harder to build local government. We will intervene to ensure that councils work better, and are accountable to the community.

The ANC will ensure more resources and trained personnel are provided for local government. Audits are being conducted of the skills that each municipality needs; and a programme will be introduced to train councillors and staff, and to employ more competent managers and technicians.

The ANC plan to speed up economic growth and job creation will be translated into concrete steps in each municipality. The Integrated Development Plans our councillors will work on with you will include programmes to train more people, open up work opportunities through the Expanded Public Works Programme, bring in more investment in areas with economic potential, and provide better education, health, water, sanitation and other services.

Our programme aims to:


 * Accelerate service delivery so that:

o No community will still be using the bucket system for sanitation by 2007.

o All communities will have access to clean water and decent sanitation by 2010.

o All houses will have access to electricity by 2012.

o There is universal provision of free basic services.


 * Improve the way government provides housing to ensure better quality houses closer to economic opportunities and combat corruption in the administration of waiting lists.
 * Improve services at hospitals and clinics, schools, police stations and other government centres in our communities.
 * Implement large projects that will help create more work opportunities. These will be in every province. Some examples include the Gautrain (Gauteng), Coega/Ngqurha (Eastern Cape), fuel-from-maize (Free State), Dube Trade Port (KwaZulu Natal), De Hoop Dam Construction (Limpopo), diamond processing (Northern Cape), Mafikeng Industrial Development Zone (North West), N2 human settlement expansion (Western Cape), and new power generating plants (Mpumalanga).
 * Pool resources to build more and better roads, infrastructure for water and sanitation, and schools and clinics where they are needed, in rural and urban areas alike. By using the approach of the public works programme in providing infrastructure, we will ensure that more people have work opportunities and are given skills.
 * Implement other special programmes in rural and urban areas where the poorest people live, including assistance in setting up food gardens.

· Assist those who want to set up small businesses with skills, credit and other forms of support.

To implement this plan, and ensure that local government moves in step with provincial and national structures, the ANC will strengthen popular participation by making Ward Committees more effective. Immediately after the elections, we will put in place a training programme to make sure that councillors are able to meet their mandate. We will resolutely fight laziness, arrogance and corruption.

The ANC is best placed to build partnerships between national and provincial governments and municipal councils, and thus make things happen faster, more effectively and in the interest of the people.

PEOPLE'S PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT
The ANC will act so that local government works better for you and your community. We are determined to provide better opportunities for you to take part in moving our system of local government forward. We will help to improve the functioning of local government to allow citizens to identify the problems that their community face and propose solutions to deal with these problems.

Already we have put in place democratic institutions like Ward Committees and instituted participatory planning processes so that you can have a say in local social and economic development. Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) must rest on widespread consultation with the community. We are determined to strengthen popular forums to build an inclusive and truly developmental system of local government.

To ensure that everyone pulls in the same direction in building better communities, every district and metro will hold a Summit for Growth and Development within one year of the elections. These Summits will bring together social partners - government, business, labour and community organisations - to develop concrete steps towards higher rates of local economic growth and poverty-reduction. Each partner will be encouraged to identify the concrete things that they will do to make local economic development a reality.

By listening to the people, and working with business, labour and other organisations in our communities, we can make local government work better for all citizens.

DUTY TO RESPECT AND SERVE THE PEOPLE
The ANC has a code of conduct, which all ANC local councillors must swear to uphold. The code requires all ward councillors to live in the community that elected them, and all councillors to work hard and to listen to the people.

The code will serve as a guide to all councillors. Their work will be reviewed regularly to ensure that they meet their obligations. In that way, the ANC will ensure that councillors remain accountable to you.

We are committed to building a non-sexist South Africa. Half of the candidates standing for the ANC are women. The ANC is painfully aware that women carry the brunt of poverty in most communities. Our programme to empower women economically and in all other respects will continue. Critical to this programme is the participation of women at every level of government.

Our plan is also aimed at improving the lives of young people, providing a better environment for teaching and learning, skills and employment opportunities. To make sure that this happens, ANC councils will make youth development a critical part of the programmes and structures of local government.

An important and critical element to improve popular participation in local development, and assist those living in poverty, is provision of information, particularly regarding how they can access social and economic opportunities. Government now employs 1,300 community development workers, with others undergoing training, so that each community can be serviced by at least one such public servant. By 2014, we will ensure that each municipality has a One Stop Government Centre (in addition to 80 now in operation) where citizens can get information on how to access the opportunities offered by democracy to improve their lives.

TOGETHER, WE CAN BUILD BETTER COMMUNITIES
All of us want better service in our schools, community clinics and government offices. We all want better opportunities to improve the lives of our families. Every community deserves decent sanitation, good roads, clean neighbourhoods and street lighting.

Together, if we join hands in a People's Contract, we can achieve these goals, so that each one of us can experience a better life under the South African sky.

Make sure that your local government works. Make sure that the programme for growth and development succeeds in the area where you live.


 * Support the plan to make local government work better for you.**


 * Vote in the local government elections on 1 March 2006.**


 * VOTE ANC!**