The municipality recently held a series of public meetings to brief residents on the draft budget for the 2015/16 financial year.
With a rates hike of 8% on the cards – and an electricity of around 12% expected – residents are in for a rough ride.
The meetings did not get off to a good start when some senior managers did not attend the meeting in the Sibongile hall and arrived late for the Moth hall meeting.
Former Mayor, Mzwakhe Sithebe, was particularly outspoken at the Sibongile meeting, saying “this is a constitutional meeting which needs relevant heads of departments of Endumeni Municipality to be present. These people are undermining the people and the constitution of the country.”
Questions were raised over funding allocations for various municipal programmes. These include the Aids awareness programme that has seen its allocation reduced from R215 000 to R100 000.
Mr Sithebe also wanted to know about promises made by the MEC for Human Settlement to finalise housing projects in Dlamini Village, Craigside and Forestdale.

Councillor Jabulani Mfeka told residents to make use of the toll-free number (034 212 2222) if they want to get any service from the municipality

The Local Economic Development budget for projects has been cut from R415 000 to R300 000.

Other allocations include: Youth development from R100 000 to R48 000 while sport, youth, arts and culture has gone down from R650 000 to R600 000.
Disaster fund: R80 000 up R5 000.
Rural Horse Riding Festival: R450 000 from R465 000.
The weighty issue of illegal electricity connections, that cost the municipality over R12-million a year, was also discussed and some residents felts that the auditing company hired to check all household electricity meters ‘were doing their job properly in Glencoe and Sithembile’
Financial Manager, Bonga Mkhize, emphasised that, due to loss of revenue through electricity theft, the budget expenditure had to be cut.
Councillor Jabulani Mfeka told residents to make use of the toll-free number (034 212 2222) if they want to get any service from the municipality.
Speaking at the Moth hall meeting, Councillor Thoko Makaba said ward 6 would benefit from a nursery and park project. Over 80 people will be employed.
Housing projects promised include 44 houses in Dlamini Village, 219 in Forestdale, 378 in Craigside plus a crèche, hall and a pedestrian bridge,
The Sithembile community was not happy in the way ‘the Council communicates’ and were upset that R4-million would be spent on a hall in Wasbank.
However, Municipal Infrastructure Grant money of R6-million would be spent to upgrade sports facilities in that area.