POLOKWANE – Capricorn District Municipality (CDM) took a new approach to spending funds on pomp, and a ceremony, when Mayor Mamedupi Teffo delivered her State of the District Address (SODA) from the studio of a local community radio station, at Sun Meropa Casino and Entertainment World last Wednesday evening.

The event was streamed on eight community radio stations.

Teffo reflected on the past 30 years and said although the journey had numerous significant turning points, the district’s municipalities are proud to have contributed to this remarkable history towards the fight against poverty, unemployment and inequality through socio-economic gains and expanded access to basic services.

“Yet the challenges facing us are immense. Poverty, inequality and unemployment still stand between many and prosperity. It is, therefore, our belief that there would be no better way to celebrate this 30 years of freedom than to ensure that every household in Capricorn District is free of poverty – with access to water, electricity and sanitation.”

“The provision of piped water is our biggest priority, given that water is central to economic development and the sustenance of human life. Insufficient water supply perpetuates poverty and poses a threat to socio-economic development. To date, water connections have been made to 89% of the district population, mostly to residents in rural areas of our district where the backlogs are severe,” Teffo said and added that where contractors fail to complete the scope of work within agreed timeframes and budgets, the municipality does not hesitate to penalise and subsequently terminate those who do not improve.

“This is in line with our zero-tolerance stance on contractors who are not fit for purpose,” Teffo said.

In order to enhance service delivery, the municipality deployed 76 newly appointed employees who are stationed at various points of service delivery across the district’s local municipalities closest to the communities they serve.

They include among others truck drivers, process controllers and general workers who will augment the municipality’s operations and maintenance in infrastructure.

There are also 54 interns who came through an environmental management internship programme.

“We, however, also have to acknowledge challenges that hold us back, which we must overcome in order to meet 100% access to water in the foreseeable future. The drying boreholes, insufficient funding, delays by Eskom in energising new projects, and the growing demand for household water connection by new settlements and extensions over the years have increased the distance between the supply and demand of water and we are struggling to keep up with the demand and this creates new backlogs,” Teffo explained.

“The future of every organ of the state depends on its financial viability and how it manages its finances. It is with this line that CDM continues to build its capacity to manage its finances, roll out a credible billing system, collect more revenue, retain its grade five grading, improve budget growth and reduce dependence on grants,” Teffo said and stated that council approved a total budget of R1.3bn for the financial year 2024/25, which comprises R383m in capital expenditure and R988m for operating expenditure.