J.B. Marks mayor AWOL at community meeting

Instead, Kgotso Khumalo was nowhere to be seen and, as tensions rose, the police had to monitor the situation.

On the agenda of the meeting, described as a cost recovery consultation, was the payment of services by the community.

According to Jeanette Tshite, the senior media relations officer of the J.B. Marks Municipality, the municipal collection rate for services is currently at 83 per cent, way below the National Treasury norm of 95 per cent.

‘If measures are not put in place to address the collection rate, the municipality will face serious financial problems.

‘All consumers who qualify for indigent registration are encouraged to apply for the free basic services subsidy,’ she said.

While waiting for the executive mayor, the Venterdorp councillors, council managers and the mayoral committee scurried up and down without the answers as to the whereabouts of the mayor. Some of the frustrated community members even threatened to break the Herald journalist’s camera.

Khuduga Dibe, the community leader expressed the frustration of the Tshing community. ‘We have noted with disappointment the way we are being treated by the executive mayor. He called a meeting but never pitched; that is a sign that he is undermining the community. The mayor has, on many occasions, lied to the public and that is why he couldn’t come,’ said Khuduga. He said the people were waiting for him to implement the promises he made in his previous meetings with the Tshing community. ‘He promised to write off all the debt, offer amnesty for bridged electrical meter boxes and agreed on a flat rate for Ventersdorp residents, whether they are employed or not.’

‘The chief whip has admitted and announced in one of her meetings that the billing system is malfunctioning. Even MEC Gaolaolwe (from the local government department) promised to intervene. We are waiting for the billing system to be sorted out so we are billed correctly,’ he concluded.

On the billing system issue, an 82-year-old man told the Herald that his account statement reflected R11 000 last month. ‘Where am I going to get that money? This is madness. We are here to listen to the mayor for answers. However, some of these youth here are unruly; I am going home because I don’t think there will be a meeting,’ he said.

Victor Boqo, the mayoral spokesperson has defended the mayor’s absence from the meeting. ‘Those scheduled meetings were ward-based and were led by the respective ward councillors. The executive mayor delegated the MMC for finance, Kelvin Johnson, in particular, to be part of the meeting as his department is very involved. He wanted him and his senior officials to assist the ward councillors with technical issues.

‘As stated before, the municipality has been implementing the MSCOA (Municipal Standard Chart of Accounts) programme and was in the process of installing this financial system in August last year when most of the problems with the billing were encountered. It is against this background that we have requested all consumers to go to the municipal finance department with their accounts during office hours so they can be investigated and corrected,’ he said