Umdoni Municipality on the brink of bankruptcy: Ratepayers should ‘pay more efficiently,’ says MM
Prior to the meeting, hundreds of Amandawe protesters had been making their way towards Scottburgh.
RATEPAYERS are not going to be happy with sentiments shared by Umdoni Municipality’s acting municipal manager, Bongani Alfred Xulu, at last Wednesday’s council meeting.
Mr Xulu was reacting to a report by the Audit Committee that the municipality was facing bankruptcy by September if changes were not made. “We are all in this together and unfortunately we face huge difficulties,” said committee chairman, Paul Preston. He stressed the urgency of appointing a permanent municipal manager, an internal auditor and a permanent planning and development general manager.
ALSO READ: Amandawe marchers to hand over memorandum to Umdoni Mayor [PHOTOS]
On hearing the financial status of the municipality, Mr Xulu stated that Umdoni should start by encouraging ratepayers to pay more efficiently.
Prior to the meeting, hundreds of Amandawe protesters had been making their way towards Scottburgh. Despite initial reports of violence in Amandawe, protest action in Scottburgh itself was peaceful. Protesters demanded the presence of the mayor, Thabani Dube, who excused himself from council to accept a memorandum of demands from the Anti Deployment Association (ADA).
Among the demands was the call for the immediate suspension or resignation of three allegedly corrupt managers, pinpointed by both the department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs and the Auditor General. Another demand was that managers be obliged to sign performance agreements, which would allow leadership to dismiss incompetent managers with immediate effect.
Meanwhile the council meeting had continued with the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs officials presenting the ‘Red Tape Reduction Programme’, which dealt with the relationships between community businesses and the municipality – the aim of which was to assist municipalities to find solutions to red tape related matters.
The mayor, speaker and acting municipal manager had returned by the next item on the agenda, one which was a main concern for all councilors – the municipality’s audit breakdown and Mr Preston’s report, which occasioned the acting municipal manager’s ill-considered remark.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like our Facebook page, follow us on Twitter and Instagram
For news straight to your phone, add us on BBM 58F3D7A7 or WhatsApp 082 421 6033
