The sphere of local government continues to be at the coal face of service delivery to our communities.
Today, we convened a special meeting with the Mayors and Executive Committees of the Msunduzi, Mpofana and Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipalities to assess their progress.
These three municipalities are under Section 139(1)b intervention in terms of the constitution.
The meeting was also attended by the respective Administrators and senior management.
The mayors of these municipalities provided us with a comprehensive report on service delivery, the status of the council; council structures and financial reports.
The reports provided by the municipalities give us hope and are a clear indication that these municipalities are making progress in turning their situation around.
Our call to these municipalities is for them to play their role in stabilising and providing solid leadership which will help them turn around their situation.
As a provincial government, we do not encourage prolonged interventions in municipalities. Our view is that the number of municipalities under intervention should be reduced over time. This requires the leadership of the municipalities to play their part and bring stability.
Part of the resolutions for this meeting is for the three municipalities to fill all vacant senior management positions. This will ensure that the municipalities can deliver their services to our communities.
These municipalities have performed well in terms of expenditure of the Municipal Infrastructure Grant, which is utilised to provide basic services to rural communities.
The issue of consumer debt continues to be a big drain on the finances of these municipalities as they are owed millions of rands by various consumers. We are committed to assisting these municipalities in their revenue enhancement drives.
Issued by the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Sihle Zikalala
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