Johannesburg: A special parliamentary committee says corruption, political infighting and nepotism are among the causes of service delivery protests around the country and proposes a timetable for interventions to ease the dissatisfaction that fuels the violence.  An ad hoc committee of MPs from the ANC, Democratic Alliance, IFP, Congress of the People, United Christian Democratic Party and the Independent Democrats says there are fundamental problems in municipal management that fuel community anger and undermine trust in the frontline of government.

"It is not only local government that needs a turnaround, but the whole system of government needs a turnaround," the committee, which is heavily dominated by ANC members, says in a 76-page report to parliament.  The committee was set up a year ago to investigate the causes of the protests that erupted across the country. Its report was scheduled for debate in the National Assembly today.

The committee says the upheaval is a result of a "litany of challenges" ranging from poor financial control and a lack of capacity to the politicisation of municipal administration.  It proposes legislative changes and new regulations to clarify the accountability chain and ensure that officials are not able to subvert proper planning and processes. The buck should stop with elected executive committees and not civil servants, the report says.

In an apparent repudiation of the ANC's policy of cadre deployment, the report says: "The administrative apparatus needs to be depoliticised in order to focus on enhanced service delivery in the municipal sphere."

It proposes that regulations should be in place by June next year to ensure that senior positions are filled only by qualified people who are registered with appropriate professional institutions.

The committee says the procedures for municipalities to buy equipment and services need to be tightened up to prevent corruption and ensure value for money.  At the same time, it says, the results of forensic investigations need to be made public and corrupt officials and politicians must face both civil and criminal charges.

The report proposes that housing waiting lists should be made public and allocations should be made strictly according to those lists and as soon as houses are available. Councillors should be excluded from the allocation process.

The committee urges that the major metros and the 21 most effective municipalities should be accredited to take over the provision of housing as soon as possible.

The committee urges parliament to force government departments to settle all overdue debts to municipalities by March.

The report focuses repeatedly on tender fraud and the practice of paying contractors for unfinished projects. It says contractors who don't do what they are paid to do should be blacklisted and denied further work. Officials accused of corruption who resign to evade disciplinary processes also should be denied further government work.

In a rare move, the committee ends its report with a three-page list of actions and deadlines - none beyond the end of 2011.