District municipality finds out what people need in Ladysmith
The purpose of these consultations was to carry out community needs analysis so that by the time the budget is prepared, the municipality will factor in all the needs identified by the communities for the five-year term of council
uThukela District Municipality recently embarked on the IDP 2018/19 public consultation meetings that were held over a five-day period from February 12 to 16 in the Alfred Duma, Inkosi Langalibalele and Okhahlamba municipal areas.
The purpose of these consultations was to carry out community needs analysis so that by the time the budget is prepared, the municipality will factor in all the needs identified by the communities for the five-year term of council.
uThukela Mayor Siphiwe Mazibuko, Deputy Mayor Sibiya and Exco member Cllr MV Khumalo, as well as other councillors and officials, hit the road running as they consulted with the communities to get their views in order to direct resources where they are most needed. In all the three municipalities that were visited, attendance was “full house” and people participated very well in terms of listing their needs.
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The mayor explained to the people that the core function of uThukela District Municipality is the provision of water, sanitation, disaster management and environmental health.
“Our task is thus to make sure all households in the district have the proper functioning water and sanitation infrastructure. In simple terms, government does not consider any project that does not appear on the IDP, hence we consult with the communities,” said the mayor.
He informed stakeholders that the district is faced with the challenge of aging infrastructure. He also said there is a plan to have water boards in all provinces, including KwaZulu-Natal. The mayor mentioned that the district has a responsibility to maintain and upgrade existing infrastructure. This was also emphasised by Cllr Sibiya and Cllr Khumalo in other community engagement meetings.
This is the first round of the IDP public consultation process. During the months of April and May, uThukela District will be going out for further consultation with the draft IDP and budget for the 2018/19 financial year. In so doing, uThukela District is trying to improve communication lines between the municipality and the community so that both parties clearly understand what is going on in terms of budget allocation and community needs.
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