- Government should step up the renaming process because the proper naming of streets and places could also improve service delivery, the ANC in the Free State believes.
- The party also said that especially those with "high-income streams and businesses" should pay their municipal service bills.
- Earlier this week in her State of the Province Address, Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela said the party was concerned about the state of its municipalities.
Government should step up the renaming process because the proper naming and renaming of streets and places could also improve service delivery, the ANC in the Free State said on Thursday.
The renaming of places is being widely discussed after Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa gazetted changes to the names of several areas and airports last week, including Port Elizabeth, which is now known as Gqeberha.
Following a meeting of the party's provincial executive committee, Free State ANC secretary Paseka Nompondo told journalists at a press conference on Thursday that municipalities "should intensify their programmes of naming and renaming".
He said:
He added that failure to do so has an impact on the provision of certain services, such as timeous response by emergency services. "This process will continue to buttress the people's dignity and secure security alerts requirements (sic)."
Nompondo also said that especially those with "high-income streams and businesses" should pay their municipal service bills so that service delivery could be improved.
He said the party would start a campaign to encourage communities to pay for services.
He said:
Nompondo continued by saying the ANC's provincial executive committee "has reaffirmed its commitment to clean governance that is responsive to the needs of our people".
He said municipalities survived on the rates and taxes collected through property ownership.
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He acknowledged that "the state of our streets, our roads in the provinces, aren't very good" and said heavy rains have added to the problem.
"The state of our roads in the province and streets in townships is something the ANC doesn't accept," he said.
Nompondo added:
He also said the ANC's election campaign had already started and would continue – safely – after the country moved to Level 1 of the Covid-19 lockdown this week.
"We have been engaging communities, also through the Zoom platform," he said.
The party's branch general meetings could start again under the new regulations, which allow up to 100 people to meet indoors and 250 outdoors.
He said the ANC will be doing door-to-door canvassing for the upcoming by-elections in the next two months in Qwaqwa and Welkom, "but we will wear masks, physical distance and wash hands".
Earlier this week in her State of the Province Address, Free State Premier Sisi Ntombela said the party was concerned about the state of its municipalities, many of which are facing "technical administration and financial challenges".
She vowed that law enforcement agencies would deal with corruption and that corruption would not be tolerated in municipalities.
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