Coghsta, munis ready to improve

Municipalities in the province had, by the end of June, spent R2 676 billion of the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) from the total allocated budget of R2 954 billion for 2016/17 financial year.
Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (Coghsta) MEC Makoma Makhurupetje said this translated to 90,47% of MIG expenditure in the province, a dramatic improvement which has seen more municipalities spending better in this financial year. She was speaking during the MEC and Mayors’ Forum held in Polokwane recently.
According to the MEC Maruleng, Thulamela, Makhado and Lephalale local municipalities had reached the 100% mark of MIG spending with Capricorn and Sekhukhune the only two district municipalities that performed well. She said this was the largest share of transfers to municipalities that is aimed at supporting government’s objective of expanding service delivery and alleviating poverty. The MIG fund is meant to support the provision of municipal infrastructure such as basic services, roads and social infrastructure for poor households in all villages and towns in the province, she explained.
Makhurupetje indicated that her meeting with municipal mayors was a way of evaluating the amount of progress that has been made in the last 343 days to check if government is still on course or have veered off track while delivering the services to the citizens. “The MEC and Mayors’ Forum is a tool we have within the Intergovernmental Relations framework to ensure that we monitor performance in municipalities while at the same time closing gaps and sharing best practices,” she reiterated.
The meeting focused on most pressing and demanding issues which included new audit methodology, state of readiness of the submission of 2016/17 Annual Financial Statements which was presented by the Head of Department Ngaka Mosehana, while senior officials in her department presented on clean audit strategy, audit remedial action plans, MIG spending and commitments, debts owed to municipalities, finalisation of transitional matters, progress on the filling of vacant posts, job evaluations, human settlements development areas and beneficiary list finalisation.
Makhurupetje emphasised that strengthening the intelligence and overall law enforcement capacity was of importance. However, this did not imply that service delivery should not be sped up or not to attend to the very legitimate concerns of the people. The rural nature of the province requires that the machinery of local government to stimulate economic growth and bring about development to millions of citizens who would otherwise never have an experience of enjoying clean drinking water, affordable electricity, tarred access roads, integrated human settlements, refuse removal and sanitation be used, she outlined.
The MEC also encouraged municipalities that are facing challenges or those in financial distress often due to failure to keep up with commitments to service debts owed to Eskom and water boards which are mainly Thabazimbi, Lim 368 (Modimolle/ Mookgophong) and Musina.
She further said attempts are being made by the department and the Provincial Treasury to assist municipalities that are in financial distress to get out from this undesirable situation. Municipalities that are experiencing financial challenges are Thabazimbi, Lim 368 and Musina and Makhurupetje intends to meet the three municipalities in the near future to evaluate the amount of progress they have made to get themselves out of the challenges.
The department plans to roll out a tailor made training programme for all communication officers in municipalities to equal the task of communicating achievements and challenges encountered by municipalities in the course of rendering services. The issue of transition had been identified as one of the impediments that ought to be given sufficient attention if municipalities are serious about restoring order and stability in affected municipalities, she said.

Story & photo: ENDY SENYATSI
>>endy@observer.co.za