The Minister of Co-operative Governance & Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Velenkosini Hlabisa, has announced the establishment of an Intervention Management Steering Committee following the uThukela Service Delivery and Governance Round Table held in Ladysmith yesterday (August 6).

The meeting formed part of government’s ongoing engagement with municipalities and key stakeholders to assess progress made since the previous meeting; address persistent service delivery challenges; and strengthen governance across the uThukela District.

The latest meeting follows the district municipality ministerial stakeholder engagement dinner held on June 25, where government committed to improving service delivery and accelerating infrastructure development across the district.

Steering committee to oversee interventions

Hlabisa said the newly-established steering committee will oversee the implementation of government interventions in addition to the municipality’s day-to-day administration.

He said the committee’s primary responsibility will be to ensure the sustainable restoration of water supply and sanitation services. It will also conduct technical working sessions to identify challenges, assess risks, and remove constraints that could delay projects aimed at resolving water and sanitation problems.

“We are putting in place a structure that will ensure that interventions are implemented effectively and that challenges are addressed without unnecessary delays,” Hlabisa said.

Water and sanitation tracker to improve accountability

A key outcome is the establishment of a comprehensive Water and Sanitation Tracker, which will be updated and reported on regularly. Hlabisa said the tracker must identify water leaks, sewer spillages and recurring pipe bursts throughout the district.

“These trackers must include leakages and identify where sewer spillages are taking place so that when we look for funding, we know exactly where those spillages are,” he said.

“The technical teams must develop a tracker that clearly identifies pipe bursts. The tracker must also include complaint turnaround times.”

He added that the monitoring system must track project implementation, available budgets, costs and time-frames for resolving identified challenges.

“In the month of August, we need to have a clear dashboard outlining the challenges in uThukela; the costing required, where budgets are available; and the time-frames to resolve those challenges,” Hlabisa added.

The minister also welcomed feedback from civil society organisations, saying he was encouraged that they had acknowledged improvements since government’s intervention in the district.

“I am very happy that civil society has indicated they can already see progress since the ministerial interventions,” he said.

Progress reports scheduled through October

Hlabisa announced that a political leadership meeting will be convened at the end of August to receive the steering committee’s first progress report.

A second report will be presented at the end of September, while government will return in October for another investment summit to assess progress and determine the next steps.

Thursday’s meeting was attended by a wide range of stakeholders, including representatives from municipalities, government departments, traditional leadership, organised business, civil society organisations and the Chamber of Business. Among those present was Chamber of Business representative Jennifer Wallace, alongside representatives of civil society and other strategic partners committed to improving service delivery in the district.

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