Press release

Cc: SABC <schraderme@sabc.co.za>

Press Release

Issued by the National Tax Payers Union

July 8, 2008

Heading: Ordinary South Africans are beginning to demand accountability and

a clean and effective government.

There is a growing dissatisfaction amongst tax- and rate-payers across South

Africa that the money they are paying to government is not being used

correctly, but instead is funding corrupt, incompetent and unaccountable

local and regional councils and municipalities.

Minister of Public Works, Thoko Didiza, has publicly stated that local

government infrastructure across South Africa is close to collapse, and out

of 282 local and district municipalities, 197 have been declared

dysfunctional. Most audits done by the Auditor General show that
municipalities are technically bankrupt due to a lack of competence in
handling their finances and/or assets. This is why ordinary people
are battling with electricity cut-offs,

water interruptions, crumbling roads, deteriorating services and incompetent

council officials.

Against this worrying background, tax-paying citizens are starting to get

mobilized. According to the Municipal Systems Act of 2000, all South

Africans are entitled to an effective, fair and equitable government. The

best way to achieve this is for people to join Rate-payers Associations -

these are non-profit, apolitical pressure groups that are becoming

increasingly effective at demanding transparent and effective government.

However, there are many towns and villages that do not have ratepayers

associations, and the residents do not know how to go about establishing

them. The National Tax Payers Union has therefore convened a workshop
where all interested parties - across the spectrum of South African
society - can get together, share information about setting up a
ratepayers association, network with other associations, find out how
to declare a dispute with their local council, and how to conduct this
dispute within the framework of the law in order to compel the
council to become effective. Representatives from several government
oversight bodies will be there as well to explain how supplies and
services can be better delivered.

The workshop takes place at De Aar Northern Cape(chosen because it is
the most central

place in South Africa). It lasts for one day, between 10am and 3pm on

Saturday 19th July. The venue is the showgrounds in the town.

"We are urging all South Africans tax payers to come and join us,'
says convener Johan

Matthee. "We want to return to the dream of 1994, when all South Africans

were promised a better life. For most South Africans, this better life has

not materialized, and we want everyone to come together to make a

difference. The government is quite capable of serving all South Africans -

however, we need to put pressure on them to do so. They have just become

completely bogged down in politics. We need to remind them that their duty

is towards us, the ordinary people of South Africa."

"There are many instances in the country where local governments have begun

to work with their local communities for the better. We have the skills, we

have the will, we can make things work again."

Anyone who is interested in finding out more, can contact Johan Matthee at

082 - 406-8248, e-mail jmatthee@oldmutualpfa.com