IMATU COMMENTS ON SONA

Following the delivery of last night’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (IMATU) is committed to making local government work.

“IMATU members, like all South Africans, are concerned by escalating crime statics, infrastructure needs, access to education, youth internship schemes and water and electricity generation. We welcome the President’s 9 point plan to boost our economy and will closely follow strategies to expand broadband roll out, water, sanitation and transport infrastructure,” explained IMATU General Secretary, Johan Koen.

IMATU supports the Back to Basics Programme which aims to promote good governance and effective administration by cutting wastage, promoting prudent spending, hiring capable staff, and ensuring transparency and accountability in local government. “As the President explained, ‘local government is everybody’s business. We have to make it work’. IMATU is committed to realising social transformation through a sustainable local government and will continue to run its Let’s get Local Government Working Campaign alongside the Back to Basics Programme,” said Koen.

Furthermore IMATU was pleased to note the President’s acknowledgment of our country’s energy challenges and the need to strategically address this problem. IMATU agrees that improved maintenance and the diversification of energy sources will enhance capacity generation in the long term. However, the serious problems of skills shortages, infrastructure development and infrastructure theft will need to be tackled immediately in order to achieve sustainable energy security.

“IMATU will heed our Government’s call to work together and save both energy and water. In this regard, we will be reviewing our own internal water and energy efficiency policies in a bit to maximise efficiency and save where we can,” he concluded.