DEAR Editor;
Not much has changed since the majority ANC party replaced Councillor Thabani Dube with Councillor Sibongile Khathi as the mayor, and appointed Councillor Siyabonga Khwela as deputy mayor in November last year.
We hope that their leadership will be instrumental in changing the style and standards of governance and service delivery in Umdoni.
Time will reveal if the undertakings they made to ratepayers at the November 2020 Imbizo will come to fruition.
Ratepayers were assured that the long-standing neglect to the infrastructure in their towns and villages would receive priority attention in the adjustment budget.
Council is currently engaged in the process of a mid-year review and compilation of an adjustment budget.
The DA councillors have submitted the priority needs in the wards they are assigned to, namely wards 7, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15.
We will do our utmost to motivate the shifting of funds to the needs in the areas that pay rates.
The current budget makes scant provision for ratepaying areas and has directed the bulk of the resources to non-ratepaying areas.
In June 2020, the last month of the last financial year, the municipal manager, Dr Vuyiwe Tsako, and the chief financial officer, Thandazile Mhlongo, brought to council an entirely corrupt budget adjustment that sought to authorise some R28-million in unauthorised, fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
I raised an objection and made an allegation of financial misconduct against both of them.
I also moved for a full forensic investigation into the financial affairs of the municipality.
My motion was defeated by the majority on council.
The corrupt budget adjustment failed to gain sufficient votes to be approved, but despite this the MM, CFO and leadership proceeded on the basis that the fraud riddled budget was adopted.
The recordings of that meeting have been steadfastly withheld.
The leadership and senior management have worked hard to suppress the evidence, carry the lie, and ignore due legal process on the basis of my allegations.
I persevered by alerting the MEC COGTA, Treasury and AG’s office of the irregularities and consistently raised the matter at every exco and council meeting.
It paid off and the mayor was forced to bring the matter to council.
This led to the MM’s suspension followed by a preliminary investigation by a private legal company into allegations against the MM.
The council has since resolved to pursue a formal disciplinary case against Dr Tsako.
I seized upon the opportunity in January this year to once again move for a full forensic investigation into Umdoni’s finances.
This time the motion was adopted unanimously.
It is a resounding victory for the DA.
If handled correctly, it could clean out the long-established patterns of corruption in Umdoni and set us on a road to service level improvements we have long dreamed of.
Experience has shown us that with government institutions one can either have corruption or service delivery, but never both.
They are mutually exclusive.
Our focus is set firmly on protecting the interests and finances of the public and doing everything legally possible to promote good service delivery.
To this end we make regular submissions on planning, policy, legislation and budgets.
We have engaged extensively with government departments and state owned enterprises such as Eskom, Telkom, Ugu, Dept of Transport, Dept of Health, Home Affairs, Dept of Labour, Dept of Social Development, SASSA – to make them aware of challenges faced by citizens and to offer assistance in providing communication and services.
We will continue to do so because persistence pays off.
With municipal services we consult with communities, submit proposals and motivations, and report accordingly on the outcomes.
We understand why so many citizens are apathetic after so much visible evidence of neglect and the arrogant refusal to communicate or give accurate account (that permeates government institutions).
We remain convinced that progress has happened in some places and that good governance will lead to economic stability and growth.
A safe sustainable life for all citizens is our vision and our plan is clear.
Through the rule of law, application of merit, good communication and work ethic we can lift ourselves above the bog of corruption and find unity in our society.
COUNCILLOR EDWIN BAPTIE
DA Caucus Leader Umdoni
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