{"id":124931,"date":"2016-05-27T19:30:06","date_gmt":"2016-05-27T17:30:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=124931"},"modified":"2016-05-27T16:55:37","modified_gmt":"2016-05-27T14:55:37","slug":"can-the-eff-live-up-to-its-election-promises","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/government\/124931\/can-the-eff-live-up-to-its-election-promises\/","title":{"rendered":"Can the EFF live up to its election promises?"},"content":{"rendered":"

South Africa\u2019s Economic Freedom Fighters<\/a> party is contesting a local government election for the first time in 2016, having only been registered as a political party in September 2013<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The EFF\u2019s local government election manifesto<\/a> is titled: \u201cOur last hope for jobs and service delivery.\u201d Like the African National Congress\u2019 manifesto, the EFF\u2019s is also 32 pages long but unlike the ANC, they do not have previous local government performance to highlight.<\/p>\n

EFF president Julius Malema says that their manifesto<\/a> \u201cis different from the rest because its success will primarily be gauged by the number of jobs the municipality will create and the number of lives that would have been improved\u201d.<\/p>\n

Here we evaluate whether the EFF will be able to keep key promises, based on current laws. We sent questions to the party asking for clarity on how they were planning on implementing their promises. At the time of publishing this report we had not received a response.<\/p>\n

(Note: Last week <\/i>we examined the ANC\u2019s election manifesto<\/i><\/a> and next week we fact-check the Democratic Alliance\u2019s manifesto.<\/i>)<\/p>\n

We will be publishing the promises one by one, so check back throughout the day.<\/p>\n

Land expropriation<\/h3>\n

\"South<\/a><\/p>\n

Promise: <\/b>\u201cThe EFF People\u2019s Municipality will pass by-laws which will expropriate and allocate land equitably to all residents of the municipality for residential, recreational, industrial, religious, and agricultural purposes and activities with the principle of use it or lose it.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Our verdict: <\/b>If the minister of public work\u2019s delegates power to a municipality and compensation is paid.<\/p>\n

Municipalities are allowed to pass by-laws<\/a> which the public is allowed to review and comment on. But this power doesn\u2019t extend to expropriation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe EFF\u2019s election promise mentions the passing of municipal expropriation by-laws, which is superfluous and irrelevant,\u201d said Benjamin Cousins, emeritus professor at the Institute for \u00a0Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies<\/a> of the University of the Western Cape.<\/p>\n

Cousins said that South Africa\u2019s impending Expropriation Act<\/a> \u201cdoes allow for the [minister of public works] to delegate powers of expropriation to another organ of state, including a municipality, which then becomes an \u2018expropriating authority\u2019\u201d.<\/p>\n

The land cannot be expropriated arbitrarily, according to Bulelwa Mabasa, a director at Werksmans Attorneys specialising in expropriation litigation.<\/p>\n

\u201cLand cannot be expropriated simply because it is not being used. There must be a legitimate public purpose or public interest,\u201d Mabasa explained.<\/p>\n

The EFF\u2019s promise would also require an enormous amount of money to implement. Local government expert, Andrew Siddle, told Africa Check that the EFF\u2019s promise was not financially feasible unless the expropriation was on a \u201cno or only partial compensation basis\u201d.<\/p>\n

But the act, in its current form, requires that the amount of compensation paid to the owner of the expropriated land or property be \u201cjust and equitable\u201d. It must reflect \u201can equitable balance between the public interest and the interests of the expropriated owner\u201d.<\/p>\n

The South African Constitution requires that this compensation be based on a number of factors<\/a>, including the current use of the property and its market value.<\/p>\n

Schools<\/h3>\n

\"Education\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Promise: <\/b>\u201cThe EFF\u2019s People Municipality will ensure that all schools under its jurisdiction have running water, sanitation and refuse removal.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Our verdict:<\/b> It is a municipal function.<\/p>\n

Under the South African constitution<\/a> it is the function of local government to provide running water and sanitation \u201cnot just for schools, but for all residents\u201d, Siddle told Africa Check.<\/p>\n

But according to the department of basic education\u2019s National Education Infrastructure Management System<\/a>, there were 604 schools without access to water in South Africa in 2014. The majority were in the Eastern Cape (339) and KwaZulu-Natal (183).<\/p>\n

There were 474 schools without sanitation facilities in the country in 2014. Again, the majority were in the Eastern Cape (366) and KwaZulu-Natal (66).<\/p>\n

Housing<\/h3>\n

\"Municipality\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Promise: <\/b>\u201cThe EFF\u2019s People Municipality will abolish all forms of informal settlements and dwellings and provide adequate human settlements for all.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Our verdict:<\/b> If the provincial government grants enough funding.<\/p>\n

An informal dwelling is a \u201cmakeshift structure not erected according to approved architectural plans\u201d, as defined by Statistics South Africa<\/a>. This includes shacks in informal settlements or in backyards.<\/p>\n

According to the 2014 General Household Survey<\/a>, 12.9% of South Africa\u2019s 15.6 million households lived in informal dwellings.<\/p>\n

Local government expert Andrew Siddle told Africa Check that upgrading informal housing was already a \u201clong-term goal\u201d for South Africa as a whole and questioned how the EFF would fund it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt should be remembered that under current legislation and framework, housing is primarily a national and provincial responsibility, with local government having limited powers,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

According to South Africa\u2019s Housing Act<\/a>, municipalities are responsible for progressively providing housing in their area and identifying and designating land for housing and ensuring that water, sanitation, electricity, roads, storm water drainage and transport are provided.<\/p>\n

Robert Cameron, professor at the University of Cape Town\u2019s political science department, told Africa Check that the promise was feasible but would require funding.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey could abolish informal settlements but would have to apply to the provincial housing boards for money,\u201d Cameron said.<\/p>\n

Read:\u00a0FACTSHEET: The housing situation in South Africa<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Sanitation<\/h3>\n

\"Dry<\/a><\/p>\n

Promise: <\/b>\u201cThe EFF\u2019s People Municipality will make sure that each and every household within its municipality has [a] flushing toilet, which will be connected to the municipal sewage system and\/or to clean, safe and durable septic tanks.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Our verdict: <\/b>If each household has water in their yard.<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernment policy is to provide sanitation to all but it still relies to a large extent on ventilated improved pit toilets and there is still a long way to go in certain provinces,\u201d local government expert Andrew Siddle told Africa Check. \u201c[The] only new thing from EFF is that all toilets [will] be flushing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stats SA defines adequate sanitation<\/a> as \u201cflush toilets connected to a public sewerage system or a septic tank\u201d or \u201ca pit toilet with a ventilation pipe\u201d. In 2014, 79.5% of households<\/a> had access to this level of sanitation.<\/p>\n

A guide to service delivery levels<\/a> by the Department of Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs highlights that \u201csanitation service levels need to be planned in conjunction with the availability of water resources and supply\u201d.<\/p>\n

For example, a household accessing water through communal taps cannot have a flush toilet installed. The basic level of sanitation that can be provided<\/a> in this scenario is a pit toilet with a ventilation pipe.<\/p>\n

A household must have a roof tank or a yard tap with a toilet connection in order to have a flush toilet connected to a septic tank. A flush toilet connected to the municipal sewage system requires a fully metered and pressurized household water connection.<\/p>\n

Because of these limitations, the provision of flush toilets would also require the provision of on-site water for households. In 2004 an estimated 46.3% of households had piped water in their dwellings and 27% has access to water on their property<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Electricity<\/h3>\n

\"Electricity<\/a><\/p>\n

Promise: <\/b>\u201cThe EFF\u2019s People Municipality will ensure that there is 100% electrification of every household in the municipality within the [sic] 5 years of being in government.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Our verdict: <\/b>Informal settlements, migration and rural areas pose an impediment<\/p>\n

South Africa\u2019s department of energy defines \u201cuniversal access\u201d as 97% of households being electrified. It notes that<\/a> \u201cfull electrification is unlikely to be possible due to growth and delays in the process of formalising informal settlements\u201d.<\/p>\n

Robert Cameron, professor at the University of Cape Town\u2019s political science department, described the promise as \u201claudable\u201d but difficult to achieve.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe problem in the big cities is in-migration. As soon as municipalities have provided services to some informal settlements, there are new migrants coming in requiring services,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The extent of the housing backlog and the ease of connecting households in isolated areas is also an impediment to universal electrification.<\/p>\n

\u201cGiven that the [housing] backlog in municipalities is not a uniform proportion everywhere, and some municipal areas include deep rural regions, the feasibility of practical 100% electrification of every household is approximately zero,\u201d Trevor Gaunt, emeritus professor at the University of Cape Town\u2019s electrical engineering department, told Africa Check.<\/p>\n

In 2014, Stats SA reported that 86% of households<\/a> were connected to mains electricity.<\/p>\n

Free basic services<\/h3>\n

\"Trash\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Promise: <\/b>\u201cThe EFF\u2019s People Municipality will provide free basic electricity and [water] to the poor.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Our verdict:<\/b> Registered poor households should receive free basic services from municipalities<\/p>\n

Poor (indigent) households that register with municipalities qualify to receive free basic water and electricity<\/a> because they receive no income or have a low income.<\/p>\n

Statistics SA\u2019s non-financial census of municipalities<\/a> for the year ending June 2014 reported that 237 out of 278 municipalities had indigent support policies.<\/p>\n

In 2014, 2,048,052 of South Africa\u2019s poor households<\/a> (58.8%) received free basic electricity.<\/p>\n

The department of energy recommends 50kWh per household per month be supplied free. This is enough to power basic lighting, a small black and white TV, a small radio and to do \u201cbasic ironing and basic water boiling\u201d, according to the department of energy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That same year 2,460,135 poor households (70.7%)<\/a> received free basic water. This is set at 6 kilolitres a month per household and should be available within 200 metres of the household.<\/p>\n

Some households that are not registered as poor also receive free basic services, depending on the municipality they are in.<\/p>\n

In 2014, the following proportion of consumer units (which is a billing unit, not a household) received free basic services:<\/p>\n