MEC Dube-Ncube reads riot act to Mooi-Mpofana councillors and staff

Drastic expenditure cuts must happen now to save the Mpofana Municipality from a total shutdown of the electricity by Eskom. This is what the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube said as she scheduled another meeting of the councillors for Saturday,15.09.18. The meeting will decide what has to be cut to save funds for the Eskom debt. The areas that were identified for the budget cuts include non-renewal of handsets contracts, reduction of excessive fleets, management salaries, some entertainment events, unnecessary security personnel and anything that was not critical if compared to the electricity. This was during her meeting with Councillors and a representative from Eskom and the councillors were told that it was the last intervention. The meeting was at the Mpofana Municipal Library on 14.09.18

Shape this municipality up or be prepared for dire consequences – that was a blunt message by KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Nomusa Dube-Ncube to councilors at Mooi-Mpofana municipality.

Dube-Ncube held an urgent meeting with the Mooi-Mpofana council in response to numerous challenges this municipality is facing, one of them being the signs of instability, poor oversight and administrative inefficiencies which is already threatened to switch off the lights if the municipality does not pay up Eskom.

MEC Dube-Ncube told councillors it cannot be business as usual. Drastic action needs to be taken to alleviate the woes of the municipality. “The municipality is having serious cash flow problems because of its incapacity to collect revenue and not tightly enforcing cost cutting measures. I urge all councillor to go out door to door, educating the community about the significance of paying for services. The community need to be made aware of their responsibility to pay for municipal services and the consequences of being switched off for non-payment”; said Dube-Ncube.

“I am here to say to you colleagues, enough is enough.  We have experienced difficulties with this municipality, with effect from today things must be done differently. We are not going to succeed in convincing investors to come to this municipality if the negative perception continues at this municipality. This picture of instability and lack of respect for the rule of law painted about this municipality must be corrected.  This is a public institution and no one can be allowed to just cease its operations and preventing it from serving the community. We have one Constitution and law that everyone must respect”, said MEC Dube-Ncube

Dube-Ncube reiterated her call to the municipality to have no mercy with any resident, business or government departments that are not paying for services. She said this would send a clear message out there that there is nothing for free.  Dube-Ncube instructed the council to cut to the bone certain unnecessary expenditures and save money for critical developmental initiatives.

Dube-Ncube appealed to investors to consider the Mooi-Mpofana municipality as a strategic area of investment because of its strategic location as a gateway that connects key economic hubs of the country.

Ends.