Following Weskus achieving 15 consecutive clean audits, Weskus Executive Mayor ‘Boffie’ Strydom explains why promoting the achievement extensively in the media has little to do with vanity.
Hope.
Municipalities which pass the test of sound financial management and strong accountability can inspire others to lift their games. And, where poor or dysfunctional service delivery prevails, communities need to know what can be achieved when good people do their jobs effectively. It’s about promoting a sense of hope and raising expectations about what they should demand from their municipalities. Ultimately, communities can facilitate positive change at local election time.
Confidence.
Investors look for opportunities which are underpinned by ethical leadership, sound financial management, and a culture of accountability. Investors have many opportunities to choose from and it’s a highly competitive space. There’s no gain made from performing to an investor’s expectations, but they don’t know about you.
Belonging.
A clean audit can create sense of pride and belonging in a community. Especially in an economy characterised by a high cost of living, the community must know that their rates and service fees are well-managed and effectively deployed for their benefit. And let’s not underestimate the power of word-of-mouth. If we communicate our clean status effectively and consistently, it is estimated that the recipient will convey this message to about 8 people. You cannot leave these conversations to chance – the ‘conversation piece’ needs to be relevant and it must influence community perceptions.
Association.
Despite competitive remuneration and benefits, attracting rare professional talent is never easy, especially in rural areas. Talent attraction is essential for succession planning and therefore consistent service continuity. An ambitious professional would find it difficult to associate their name and reputation with a dysfunctional municipality. You must communicate that your municipality is not only ‘clean’ but innovative, dynamic, and future-based alternative-thinkers.
The Weskus success story reaches a significant audience, but it’s not based on vanity. We deliberately promote our track record for strategic and tactical purposes and have just one pure agenda – service delivery.
RW ‘Boffie’ Strydom
Executive Mayor
Weskus Distrik.
