Draft Resolution - Municipal Service Partnerships

The 1999 SACP Strategy Conference:

Noting:

1. The resolution on "Local Government Transformation and Elections" adopted at
   the 1999 Strategy Conference.
2. The transformative and developmental nature of the new local government system
3. The huge inequalities and massive backlogs in services and infrastructure at local
   government level.
4. At least R90 billion is required to address these needs.
5. The state alone is not able to meet these needs and has to enter into a variety of
   Municipal Service Partnerships (MSPs), including Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) with
   the private sector, and other forms of MSPs with CBOs, NGOs and other agencies.
6. The lack of emphasis on MSPs other than PPPs.
7. MSPs, including PPPs, are potentially different from privatisation, even if in practise
   they could become the same.
8. The "Framework for Restructuring of Municipal Services Provision" negotiated
   between government, SALGA and COSATU and the pending regulatory framework for MSPs.

And believing:

1. The state’s fundamental and major relationship is with the working class and poor,
   and any relationship with the private sector must be situated within this context.
2. The public sector is the preferred service provider.
3. Where municipalities are unable to deliver adequate services, they should enter into
   MSPs, including PPPs, in a way that builds the capacity of municipalities to provide these
   services in the future.
4. MSPs, including PPPs, should be located in the context of a developmental state and the
   developmental character of local government, and must serve to strengthen the national
   democratic developmental state.

Therefore resolves:

1. To encourage greater emphasis on MSPs other than PPPs, especially partnerships with CBOs
   and NGOs.
2. To, wherever possible, pursue PPPs only after exploring the potential of public-public
   partnerships.
3. To support the overall approach in the "Framework for Restructuring of Municipal
   Services Provision" negotiated between the government,SALGA and COSATU, and work
   towards this approach being incorporated into the final regulatory framework on MSPs being
   concluded by the government.
4. To support MSPs, where necessary, only if they occur within the framework provided by
   the "Framework for Restructuring of Municipal Services Provision".
5. To support the implementation of MSPs, including PPPs, where it is unavoidable, through
   the maximum consultation of all the relevant stakeholders as an alternative to
   privatisation, and as part of an overall strategy for service delivery.
6. To contribute towards ensuring that the capacity of municipalities, and councillors in
   particular, to appropriately deal with MSPs is enhanced.
7. To ensure that SACP branch and other structures are fully acquainted with our approach
   to MSPs, including PPPs, and participate, together with other structures of the Alliance,
   in ensuring that MSPs are appropriately implemented.
8. To use this resolution as a basis to develop our approach to "alternative service
   delivery" mechanisms being proposed by the state in general.