Ugu adopts over R1 billion budget
Ugu District Municipality mayor Sikhumbuzo Mqadi said an allocation of R66 million has been made for rolling out the rural ventilated improved pit toilets, saying that this will advance their work to eradicate rural sanitation backlogs from across the Ugu district.
The council of Ugu District Municipality recently approved a total budget of over R1 billion (R1 752 433 380) during a council sitting at the Ray Nkonyeni Municipality Council Chambers on Monday last week.
Presenting the mid-year budget adjustment, Ugu mayor Sikhumbuzo Mqadi said an allocation of over R360 million has been made for the capital budget and R1 349 859 630 for the operational budget.
Mqadi said an allocation of R66 million has been made for rolling out the rural ventilated improved pit toilets, saying that this will advance their work to eradicate rural sanitation backlogs across the district.
He said within the municipality’s Special Programmes Department, R10 000 was allocated for gender-related activities.
He added South Coast Tourism and Investment Enterprise (SCTIE) was allocated R32 million.
IFP councillor Busi Machi said although they will adopt the budget, they feel that the allocation for gender in the special programmes is too little.
“It is impossible to run the programme successfully with R10 000. This amount is too little for the whole Ugu district. It feels as if we are depriving the programme, yet there are so many things that need to be done,” she said.
Machi added that they recognise and appreciate the work done by SCTIE, saying that the entity needs motivation.
She said the allocation of substantial funding will help SCTIE to continue doing the work they do.
Meanwhile, Mqadi said the 2023/2024 adjustment budget attempted to strike a balance between ongoing service delivery imperatives and responding to socio-economic challenges confronting the district.
“In preparing for this budget adjustment, we have been fully conscious of our legislative mandate, that of the vision of water and sanitation in a sustainable environment and we have ensured that the appropriate resources are allocated to meet these strategic objectives. We have made all attempts to accommodate all reasonable requests into this final adjustment budget, but I wish to inform the council that our financial situation could not allow us to accommodate all budget requests made. Therefore, you will notice that in conducting this budget adjustment, we have implemented downward adjustments to ensure that we produce a well-balanced and credible budget adjustment,” said Mqadi.
He added that they have managed to accelerate the process of addressing the long-awaited power upgrade of Umtamvuna treatment works which will now be
realised following the signing of a memorandum of agreement between the municipality and the interested parties in the implementation of the project.
Mqadi said the power upgrade will involve the construction of a medium voltage power line from the Eastern Cape to Umtamvuna low lift pumpstation, saying that this will increase the Umtamvuna pumpstation’s capacity to generate and supply 30 million litres of potable water.
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