Zondo blames poor municipal performance on incompetent and unskilled people

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo says the poor performance of municipalities in the country is due to the appointment of non-competent and non-qualifying people in public service office positions in South African municipalities.

Justice Zondo was delivering the OR Tambo Lecture at the University of Fort Hare in Alice on Friday.

Zondo says the mismanagement of State Owned Enterprises is all due to corruption and the failure of political leaders to uphold OR Tambo’s values.

“There can be no doubt that some of the municipalities are dysfunctional and on the brink of collapse because the majority of the people appointed to higher positions are unqualified and are incompetent for the positions they are appointed for. If they do qualify for these positions then the problem may be that they lack integrity, and then the problem may be that they would have been appointed in those positions as a favour. And they know it,” says Zondo.

Chief Justice Raymond Zondo takes swipe at government over corruption:

Dignity of South African youth

Chief Justice Zondo believes the government is nowhere close to what OR Tambo and other struggle stalwarts fought for. He says Oliver Tambo would be ashamed of seeing children die in pit toilets after they fought apartheid to restore the dignity of South African youth and better education.

“Oliver Tambo would have been very unhappy that there are hundreds and thousands of black learners in this country who attend schools which have got no libraries, who attend schools made of mud, and who attend schools in rural areas that still have pit toilets. He would find it unforgivable that thirty years into our democracy there are primary kids who die cause they fall into pit toilets.”

The Dean of Law at Fort Hare, Prof Mzukisi Njotini, says the lecture aims to give a clear understanding of the impact of democracy and the role of justice in society.

“We can ask the question, does law triumph over justice? If so, does democracy have a role to play in the latter regard? And if the answer is yes, what it is that democracy can play? These questions inform the discussions we are having today. They particularly touch on the theme of this public lecture.”

 Chief Justice Raymond Zondo’s OR TAMBO Public lecture at the University of Fort Hare: