The national government is said to be in talks with its French counterpart in a bid to secure a R1.9bn loan for the upgrade of deteriorating infrastructure in cities such as Gqeberha, Johannesburg and eThekwini.
A major step towards securing the loan was taken earlier this week after President Cyril Ramaphosa met French President Emmanuel Macron during the former’s visit to Europe.
If used properly, the money will go a long way in solving the water, electricity and other infrastructure problems confronting many of the country’s municipalities.
The loan, therefore, is to be welcomed as a positive development.
However, money alone is not going to solve the problem.
Though it is absolutely needed, the reality is that it will go unspent — or will fall into the wrong hands — unless the critical issue of skills shortages is addressed in many of the municipalities.
SA’s cities and towns largely find themselves in dire financial conditions today mainly because allocated financial resources were abused or not enough qualified people were appointed to positions where they could drive major infrastructure projects.
It is well and good for the president to travel the world seeking support because our cities do need fixing.
We know that almost better than anyone here in Gqeberha, a metro that has had more than its fair share of disruptive power failures, water shortages and a general lack of quality service delivery.
Later this year, as citizens we will be going to the polls to elect local public representatives.
But even if we vote only for the best, the reality is that our cities and towns will not be fixed unless, at administration level, we have men and women who actually know what it will take to fix them.
Therefore, while we welcome the R1.9bn from the French, we must impress on government — from national to municipalities — the need for suitably qualified people to run our cities and towns.
