Two more experts, including an engineer, will arrive in Grahamstown next week to boost the gargantuan task of rebuilding the city's infrastructure.
Two more experts, including an engineer, will arrive in Grahamstown next week to boost the gargantuan task of rebuilding the city's infrastructure.
This was among the good news emerging from a four-hour meeting in which Makana Municipality, the South African Local Government Association and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs were put under the spotlight by a top-level Parliamentary delegation.
Also good news, from a point of view of stability and continuity, was that Bhisho-appointed administrator Pam Yako appeared to have widespread support for her intervention efforts thus far.
Yako has six more months to fix the embattled municipality, before the select committee for Cooperative Government and Traditional Affairs in Parliament decides whether to persist with their intervention to revive its collapsed administration or not.
Most of the speakers at the meeting supported Yako's intervention and called for her contract to be extended, with some even calling for her terms of reference to be broadened.
The parliamentary committee had some tough questions for provincial officials and the administrator at the special sitting of the select committee of Parliament at the Grahamstown City hall on Wednesday.
The team was in town to assess progress made since the municipality was placed under administration last year.
Speakers at the meeting were given 10 minutes each to speak to the problems faced by the municipality and to offer support or solutions to the municipality's growing problems.
Executive Mayor Zamuxolo Peter opened the meeting, taking the opportunity to emphasise the town's problems of ageing infrastructure – which he cites as the cause of ongoing water outages – electricity supply issues and bad roads.
Peter also attributed the municipality's problems to lack of capacity as a result of losing key office bearers.
"Some of the directors' terms were ended, the [Municipal Manager] was suspended, and we struggled to attract good candidates for the CFO position due to the package that is regulated," he said.
Embedded Makana United Business Chamber Chairman Lungile Mxube raised critical questions about Peter and Council speaker Rachel Madinda-Isaac's positions in the Council, given they were allegedly implicated in cases of corruption.
Mxube pointed to corruption as the root cause of the collapse of the municipality, which he said needed to be addressed if the intervention was to succeed.
"The very same individuals who are responsible for this mess are still embedded within the local state," Mxube said.
He highlighted three cases which he alleges were swept under the carpet.
These were the Alicedale Qhora project which was allocated R2 million; land sales amounting to more than R1m and electricity mismanagement.
Mxube said the auditor general found that in the 2003/2004 financial year, municipal property amounting to R2.3 million was stolen and there were no consequences.
Mxube also called for the Kabuso report, which names a number of municipal officials in alleged wrongdoing to be made a public document, and for a copy to be handed to the police for investigation.
He blamed the Mayor and Speaker for the paralysis in Council, adding that they had sent a petition to Local Government MEC Fikile Xasa to have them both removed, "because we have lost confidence in them".
Political pressure Speaking on behalf of the Makana Civil Society Coalition Thabani Mdlongwa voiced their support for Yako, calling for her terms of reference to be broadened.
"The Kabuso report must come into the public domain without any political pressure," Mdlongwa said, adding that "we need to see people with integrity employed in this municipality and managers with the right skills and knowledge".
One of the committee members, Tabisa Wana, asked the administrator and other stakeholders who were presenting why their reports were silent on public participation.
“The reports are silent on that. Were the people of these communities told of about this intervention?" she asked.
"Are the committees and council meeting in this municipality? The report is silent on that also," Wana said.
"There is no synergy in the report from the administrator and the presentation by Salga and provincial Cogta.
"There is no indication of whether the district municipality is assisting this municipality as it is supposed to”.
She said she was concerned that even the mayor said nothing about how the communities of Makana felt about this transition.
“The report is also silent about Rhodes University. Are there any Service Level Agreements and how do they participate in the Inter-governmental relations with the municipality?” Wana asked.
Litigation Provincial Cogta portfolio chairperson Mninawa Nyusile was concerned that Makana Municipality was bowing under the weight of litigation.
“If litigation is so enormous and the finances of this municipality are in dire constraints, how are you going to balance the two?" Nyusile asked.
"I want to ask the superintendent-general also, how you are going to help this municipality?” Responding to the committee about the financial status of Makana, acting Chief Financial Officer Busi Khumalo told the committee that Makana is currently collecting 66% of owed revenue and the budget is based on a 75% collection rate.
“This means we have a shortfall of R6.1 million in our budget already.
We owe creditors R78 178 000 which is affecting service delivery to the communities of Makana,” said Khumalo.
Cogta superintendent-general Stanley Khanyile defended his department.
He told the committee they were pleased with the progress in Makana.
“This is our intervention. We supplied this municipality with resources and we seconded staff in terms of section 154 of the Constitution," said Khanyile.
"Next week we will be seconding other two people, including an engineer, to support the Infrastructure department of this municipality,” said Khanyile.
The committee, however, was not impressed with his response and called him arrogant.
The presenters included Provincial Cooperative Government and Traditional Affairs; Nafcoc; Makana United Business Chamber; Makana Civil Society Coalition; South African Local Government Association; Rhodes University; Local Labour Forum; Minister's Fraternity (Grahamstown East).
