MBOMBELA – Well known for its clean audits, the Ehlanzeni District Municipality (EDM) has attracted attention from different districts which have embarked on the road to clean audits.

Last week EDM, which has achieved its fifth clean audit in a row, hosted a delegation of John Taolo Gaetsewe District Municipality (JTGDM) for a benchmarking exercise.

The three-day tour began with an orientation session around the municipality building which impressed the delegation with its well-decorated offices and resourceful conference facilities.

“This environment is so beautiful and the officials here have no choice but to be productive. No wonder they are able to achieve clean audits,” one member of the JTGDM delegation said.

Welcoming the delegation which was led by JTGDM executive mayor, Cllr Sophia Mosikatsi, the mayor of Ehlanzeni, Cllr Letta Shongwe commended them for being aware of their shortcomings, hence this municipality approached EDM to share its best practices.

“Indeed we have a good story to tell and our clean audits are part of it. We are prepared and willing to assist where we can and share with you how we were able to achieve them for the past five years,” Shongwe told them.

Unpacking their expectations throughout the exercise, Mooikatsi said after they saw EDM’s impressive website, they knew that they could learn a lot from it.

“We are here so that you can share with us how to improve our performance since you’ve demonstrated best practice.

We also hope to establish a long-term professional relationship with you so that we can well perform better as well and move the country forward,” she proposed.

Sharing some of EDM’s best practices, Adv Hugh Mbatha created a scenario of an ideal municipality which he emphasised should work with citizens and different groupings in its space on a daily basis.

“We are following Madiba’s desire to see the country prospering in terms of providing basic needs to the people.”

Mbatha added that an ideal municipality should have proper infrastructure planning.

“Service delivery protests are usually propelled by lack of quality in projects and funds spent but no delivery.

We need to be honest with funds because lack of transparency is what irritates the public more,” he added.

Mbatha concluded that an ideal municipality ought to have good leadership which would lead to good credibility and quality service delivery and this would contribute to the development of local government.

JTGDM, which comprises three local municipalities and 186 towns and settlements of which the majority (80 per cent) are villages, recently obtained an unqualified audit.