Makana councillors have welcomed the offer of support for fire services from Cacadu District Municipality – but they're not celebrating just yet.
The fire department is Grahamstown's go-to place for anything from removing snakes in the garden shed, to bringing water during water cuts and providing plastic sheeting for people whose roofs have been destroyed in the rains.
Makana's best have even taken the flak for absent municipal officials, graciously acknowledging the protests of residents during the pre-Festival water cuts. That's apart from their day job of fighting fires.
But what many don't know is that it's not actually the local municipality's responsibility to provide these services and, in fact, Cacadu District Municipality should be performing the function.
The Municipal Structures Act 117 of 1998, Section 84 (j) states that the district municipality is obliged to serving the area of the district as a whole when it comes to performing these services, including specialised fire-fighting such as mountain, veld and chemical fires.
Makana councillors have welcomed the offer of support for fire services from Cacadu District Municipality – but they're not celebrating just yet.
The fire department is Grahamstown's go-to place for anything from removing snakes in the garden shed, to bringing water during water cuts and providing plastic sheeting for people whose roofs have been destroyed in the rains.
Makana's best have even taken the flak for absent municipal officials, graciously acknowledging the protests of residents during the pre-Festival water cuts. That's apart from their day job of fighting fires.
But what many don't know is that it's not actually the local municipality's responsibility to provide these services and, in fact, Cacadu District Municipality should be performing the function.
The Municipal Structures Act 117 of 1998, Section 84 (j) states that the district municipality is obliged to serving the area of the district as a whole when it comes to performing these services, including specialised fire-fighting such as mountain, veld and chemical fires.
This issue arose at Wednesday's Special Council meeting, where it emerged that because Cacadu District Municipality was not able to perform this function, it had relied on local municipalities to do so – but without any accompanying financial support.
The only support Makana had received was through the provision of specialised equipment. Now, in exchange for Makana continuing to provide the services, Cacadu has offered to make financial resources available to the municipality, including a contribution to salaries.
This is in line with the district municipality's service agreements with all the local municipalities in its jurisdiction.
While Social Services Director, Mandisi Planga recommended that council agree to the exchange, Councillor Pierre Ranchhod warned that the financial commitment was not disclosed in the service agreement and questioned whether legal advice had been sought.
Councillor Brian Fargher added that Makana had not really been promised anything.
In response, Planga said they had sought legal advice and that the municipality's legal advisor, Advocate Moses Bodlani, had "okayed" it.
He said as soon as there was an agreement in principle, the financial commitments would be worked out in detail. Council approved the item in principle, but stipulated that complete cost implications needed to be determined before the agreement could be concluded.
