MK Party councillors deployed to municipalities after the local government elections will be required to sign performance agreements, with those who fail to meet agreed targets facing removal, the party’s first deputy president, Duduzane Zuma, has said.
The party wanted its representatives in government to be judged against clear expectations rather than remain in office regardless of their performance.
“We’re even going to make them sign certain agreements with the party for KPIs and performance, and if they don’t meet those standards and are in agreement with it, then it’s not a discussion. They’ll be moved on,” he said.
Speaking during a roundtable with IOL editors in Durban on Monday, Zuma said the measures were part of efforts to prevent the party from repeating what he described as a pattern of non-performing leaders remaining in senior positions.
He said MKP had seen people who had been on long political journeys reach senior positions and continue to serve despite failing to deliver.
“I’ll speak for myself as well; we’ve come from other institutions where we’ve seen people that have been on the long journey, in leadership positions, at the highest levels within the parties as well as within government, and non-performers, and are still active,” Zuma said.
MKP would remove representatives who failed to meet the responsibilities they had agreed to undertake.
“You had an opportunity to showcase what it is that you could do or said you could, or believed you could. You were not able to; that’s fine. It’s nothing personal. That goes for any of us,” he said.
‘Nobody’s safe’
Zuma said the party’s disciplinary approach would not be affected by personal relationships.
“Whether you are a friend, family, grew up together, nobody’s safe. If you ain’t about the business, it’s as simple as that,” he said.
MKP had already expelled members of his family, which he presented as an example of the party’s approach to discipline.
“There have been family members that have been expelled from the party, and that speaks to the seriousness of what it is.
”Whatever the transgression is, if you don’t shape up, we’ll ship you out. That’s as simple as it is.
“You will be replaced with someone else who is more capable and is hungrier to get things done,” he said.
Scrutiny of eThekwini
Zuma said the same focus on accountability would extend to the municipality, where MKP would examine existing reports and investigations rather than treat problems as new issues.
“The reports are there, the findings are there, the investigations are there. It’s not something that we have to institute. The information is there; it’s been covered up. People have to be brought to book,” he said.
This would include looking at municipal contracts and whether private companies had fulfilled their obligations.
“Whether you are an official, whether you are a private entity interacting with the city, contracts, expectations, were the deliverables met? We would have to dig up on that information,” Zuma said.
He proposed bringing the municipality, investigators and prosecuting authorities together to deal with cases where wrongdoing was identified.
Such scrutiny should not be interpreted as a political campaign against individuals.
“People mustn’t think it’s a witch hunt and that sort of thing, but you’re not going to steal our children’s futures because that’s what’s happening,” Zuma said.
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