POLOKWANE – This follows the appointment of Dewet Monakedi, the former chair, to the NCOP.
On Tuesday, the committee also continued with the hearing that started on 20 July.
Mashapa Sesera, one of the committee members was not happy that the Municipal Manager, Dikgape Makobe was represented by acting Municipal Manager, Ndavhe Ramakuela and asked who would be taking legal responsibility.
The committee once again voiced its dissatisfaction with the reporting skills of the officials, citing that many questions have not been answered and they wanted to know what has transpired.
The committee was told that project managers would be required to present their reports three days before it was to be closed on the system for it to be reviewed before submitted.
The municipality also had to account for bad planning and reporting achievements well above expectations in some areas, such as health inspections, traffic awareness campaigns and EPWP job creation.
The MPAC was informed that EPWP targets were set by the national Department of Public Works and supplied to the municipality, the total number of jobs comprising both infrastructure projects and social projects.
The reporting on traffic awareness campaigns was described as being the result of incorrect reporting, while food and premises inspections had been corrected and the target correctly captured.
The MPAC wanted to know what strategy was in place to ensure that the budgeted forecast will be realised and what measures were put in place to ensure actual expenditure is not increasing at an exponential rate.
They also asked the municipality to provide a detailed report of overtime for each directorate and a breakdown of councillors and officials debt over 90 days (see report elsewhere).
The issue of municipal overtime was also discussed, but the municipality maintained that, although some directorates overspent, the total budget for overtime was not exceeded as there was savings elsewhere in the vote. the overtime was ascribed to shortage of personnel in some units, like the engineering unit and regular pipe bursts and electricity outages during nighttime.
The MPAC questioned why a feasibility report requested by the committee on the proposed appointment of a panel of contractors and their functions within the municipality has not yet been received.
They were informed that the municipality has decided to first appoint a Project Management Unit (PMU),which was done a week prior, who may or may not decide to appoint a panel.
The municipality’s attention was drawn to the phrasing of their answer, which indicated that the PMU will assist with the establishment of the panel, as if it was a given that the panel will be appointed. The contractors’ panel was initially to assist the municipality with planning and procurement, among other functions.
The MPAC wanted to know how these entities are to operate and what their exact functions would be and why a feasibility study has not been done first, asking for a report to be submitted by the municipality.
