The state of J.B. Marks Municipality’s administration has been worrying in the past year, and a new report from the municipal manager underlines these factors.

On 20 October 2023, the recently appointed municipal manager, Kgomotso Kumbe, stated in a report that the municipality had been struggling to deliver basic, quality and sustainable services to the community.

Some key factors Kumbe touched on included a lack of standard operation procedures, loss of staff capacity due to retirement and resignations, and various service delivery issues.

“The standard operating procedures that should guide the management and all other municipal officials in executing their roles, responsibilities and functions are non-existent. As a result, the functions and activities might not be executed at the expected standard or quality, or at worse, the functions and activities might not be executed at all,” stated Kumbe in the report the Herald has seen.

Numerous aspects like high vacancy rates, lack of tools of the trade, extended acting periods, and employee suspension are aspects the municipality aims to address.

“Recruiting and retaining suitably qualified employees play a critical role in the municipality’s ability to deliver quality basic services to the community. It is, therefore, critical to ensure that skills assessment and capacity gap analysis are conducted on all municipal employees,” reads the report.

Closing municipal stores in Potchefstroom and Ventersdorp is another cause for concern. Credit control and debt management have also not been implemented regularly and have had a negative impact. Supply chain management and noncompliance with its laws are other factors that impede the pillars of the municipality.

“The municipality is experiencing instances where service providers are being instructed to execute work for the municipality without preparation or an order issued to the appointed service provider,” added Kumbe.

Water provision is one of the key areas the municipality must focus on. Dilapidated and old infrastructure has ailed the effective delivery of services to communities, especially in Ikageng and Promosa.

“Construction of the 25-megalitre Ikageng reservoir and upgrading the Ventersdorp Road pump station will assist and enable the municipality to provide water. In the interim, however, the municipality is considering alternative measures of ensuring that water is pumped from the Ikageng West Reservoir into the Eersteraantjies reservoirs.”

Other factors relating to service delivery include the municipal road and storm water networks, which are in a state of “dilapidation and decay”, as most roads in the Ventersdorp and Potchefstroom regions have significant structural damage that has led to potholes forming.

“The Municipality has spent R47 million on repairs, maintenance, patching and resealing the road infrastructure network. However, we must still do a significant amount of work, as the pothole patching has failed to yield the expected and required outcomes in improving the state of the roads,” explained Kumbe.

The poor condition of streetlights is also a major concern. The Municipal Council invested R11 million in the repair and maintenance of streetlights, but it has not significantly improved the state of lighting in either Potch or Ventersdorp.

“The success of streetlight repairs and maintenance is short-lived in most cases, as most lights stay lit for a short while and switch off after being repaired. The municipality is investigating alternative means of illuminating the towns for longer,” said Kumbe.

Over the past few months, the sewer network has been a major point of discussion, with numerous residents across various neighbourhoods complaining of sewage spills.

“The status quo in the Ventersdorp and Potchefstroom regions Municipality indicates the municipal sanitation network is near collapse. As a result, we must develop and implement urgent measures to ensure the sewer network is repaired and maintained,” mentioned Kumbe.

The municipality has been conducting sewer network unlocking, utilising a combination of municipal staff and service providers, and R7 million has been spent on repairs and maintenance. The municipality is looking at detailed and thorough maintenance and possibly upgrading the main sewer network to ensure the problem is permanently eradicated.

*The Herald sent an enquiry to the J.B. Marks spokesperson but did not rec receive feedback in time for print.

Kgomotso Kumbe, the municipal manager of the J.B. Marks Municipality wrote a report on the status of administration in the municipality. Photo: Wouter Pienaar.