Elizabeth Moyo (middle)

Local government leadership learn at Summer School
Delegates from over 20 local governments recently attended a three-day summer school, geared to share experiences and discuss common problems faced by municipalities in South Africa. The conference was jointly sponsored by First National Bank (FNB) and the INCA Capacity Building Fund (ICBF).

FNB has been involved in the Summer School for many years. 'We offer banking and financial solutions to government at all levels,' says Elizabeth Moyo, CEO of Provincial and Local Government in FNB’s Public Sector Banking Segment. 'But beyond providing banking services, we see ourselves as an important stakeholder in assisting government to work effectively in delivering quality services to all the people of the country. This is why we continue to be associated with the Summer School.'

Moyo points out that municipalities in South Africa face numerous difficulties, and this is why the Summer School is so valuable. 'The implementation of new legislation and different processes can be stressful and smaller municipalities, in particular, find this a lonely experience because of their isolation from the bigger centres,' she points out. 'They often lack the resources and know-how to implement the new measures.'

Through this forum municipal staff have a good opportunity to share their thoughts and learn from one another. Therefore, the focus areas for discussion at this year’s Summer School reflected on the issue of overcoming constraints within municipalities relating to capacity and legislation. Sessions on the agenda were geared to facilitate a better understanding of relevant legislation in the municipal environment, such as the Public Finance Management Act and the Municipal Finance Management Act.  

In accordance with the goal of sharing best practice and addressing the key challenges facing municipalities, each municipality attending the Summer School prepared a case study relating to a particular issue they had faced, sharing with other delegates their frustrations, successes and quandaries. The implementation of the new Rates Act received attention from a few delegates, and other topics discussed included a project for eradicating corruption among municipal officials, procurement processes, and so on. The relationship between national and local government was also explored, including interaction with Treasury.

As with many other sectors of the economy, the availability of skilled staff was identified as a major problem. 'Staff are leaving for perceived greener pastures,' explained one delegate, 'and it is difficult to attract young people to a career in local government.'  

The School ended on a high note, with the announcement of the names of those delegates selected to attend an overseas study tour to France. Skills gained through the interaction with French municipal officials are invaluable, injecting much-needed cutting-edge thinking into the South African municipal scenario.

Moyo concludes that FNB is keen to remain involved in initiatives geared to assist local government to grow and improve. 'Our role in helping government to deliver quality services to the population is something we take very seriously,' she says.

For more information on this and other FNB Public Sector Banking initiatives contact:

Elizabeth Moyo, CEO of Provincial and Local Government: FNB Public Sector Banking
Tel.: +27 11 352 9768
Email: emoyo@fnb.co.za