In a letter issued yesterday, just two days before the local government elections, President Cyril Ramaphosa said that some municipal councillors were “bought” by businesspeople.

“Sadly, what is supposed to be a democratic contest for the opportunity to serve communities has in some cases become a transactional arrangement. Some councillors who are ‘bought’ by businesspeople often put matters of procurement above the needs of our people,” Ramaphosa wrote.

“As government, we are working to put a stop to these practices, but citizens carry an equally important responsibility to ensure that the people they elect are the right ones for the job,” the president added.

“We have seen corrupt local government officials scheme with businesspeople to obtain tenders for services that are substandard or not delivered at all.

“Contestations over power and access to resources in local government have contributed to acts of violence, including disruptions of council meetings and the killings of ward candidates, councillors and municipal officials,” Ramaphosa wrote.

He called this election “one of the biggest electoral contests in our country’s democratic history, with 546 parties and nearly 137 000 candidates”.

“As a nation, we must come together to ensure that the upcoming poll is not marred by acts of violence or intimidation,” he said.

Ramaphosa added that under the new White Paper on local government, “revenues from the sale of electricity and water will be ring-fenced to be reinvested in maintaining critical infrastructure”, and that a “compulsory licensing requirement will also be introduced for all water and electricity providers”.