The decision taken by the Demarcation Board of amalgamating 10 municipalities in the province to enhance their financial viability and administrative capacity to perform municipal functions efficiently and effectively, were met with anger in Delmas in the Victor Khanye Local Municipality.
ANC in Mpumalanga supports the idea of merging the municipalities and indicated that the proposal to merge non-viable municipalities with those that are viable, will assist the struggling municipalities to fulfill their mandate of service delivery and to be financially sustainable.
Delmas forms part of the gateway to inner Mpumalanga. Service delivery is nonexistent and the municipality’s coffers are empty.
Sound familiar? This is exactly the gloomy picture in Emalahleni.
Just like Emalahleni the available resources in Victor Khanye Local Municipality are normally not enough to meet all the needs.
In the Budget Indaba for the 2014/2015 financial year held on April 30 last year, the Executive Mayor of Victor Khanye Local Municipality, Cllr Eva Makhabane said,”Putting together a budget for nine wards, each with its own needs and dynamics is not an easy task. The practical challenge in any budgeting process is to ‘balance the act’ and we had to make a distinction between a ‘need’ and a ‘want’”.
She highlighted as per the 2011 Census statistics, the unemployment rate within their area is at 28,3%, which is higher than the overall figure of the country, which is at 25%.
Census 2011, also showed that the municipality’s population has sky-rocketed from about 56 000 in 2001 to about 75 000 in 2011. “This increase has put a lot of pressure on us in terms of the provision of services such as water, electricity, job creation and more,” Makhabane said.
Makhabane acknowledged the culture of non-payment for services rendered is impacting negatively on their budget.
“Our municipality is heavily reliant on grants from other spheres of government to keep it afloat. This is definitely not a healthy state of affairs because it impacts negatively on our plans for development,” she said.
At least the municipality has clean water. Makhabane said the Rand Water Pipeline (Bloemendal), is now operational and their challenges in terms of the quality and quantity of their water are now a thing of the past.
However it came as a hefty price tag and the municipality had to make a loan of R16-million to augment the budget they received from National, Provincial and District Government to finish the project.
Back at home Emalahleni Local Municipality is still getting a hiding over the negative audit.
The Auditor General said unauthorised, irregular and fruitless and wasteful expenditure is one of the downfalls of Emalahleni Local Municipality.
The statement was seconded by residents in Delmas earlier this week, who said they do not want to be part of a municipality that cannot manage their budget.
The proposed changes in municipal boundaries are:
Dr Pixley ka-Isaka Seme Local Municipality is merged with Msukaligwa Local Municipality with the view to optimising the financial viability of the new municipality; amalgamate Dipaliseng Local Municipality and Lekwa Local Municipality; Emakhazeni Local municipality and Steve Tshwete Local Municipality; Victor Khanye Local Municipality and Emalahleni Local Municipality and Umjindi Local Municipality with Mbombela Local Municipality.
Mr Zibonele Mncwango, spokesperson for Mpumalanga premier’s office, asked residents to participate in any public opinion poll to make their voice heard and be part of the decision making of this very important issue.
