uMkhanyakude Mayor says council is politically stable

Newly-elected uMkhanyakude Mayor Siphile Mdaka told uMhlabuyalingana community members that the municipality was politically stable and has a clear direction to fulfill its mandate.

Addressing attendees of the municipality’s Integrated Development Plan (IDP) programme recently, Mdaka said at the end of the 2020/21 financial year, the municipality was faced with several challenges which impacted the delivery of services.

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This instability, Mdaka added, prompted the provincial government to place the municipality under administration.

The mayor said council is now functional, with councillors, members of Exco, and other committees from different parties resolving to work collectively for communities.

This includes the committees overseeing water supply and community matters, who sit on a monthly basis to address the relevant affairs.

Mdaka said the next step was to ensure there was administrative stability at the municipality.

This requires the appointment of a full-time municipal manager and a CFO, a position which should be filled before the end of April.

‘We really will not be unapologetic about that,’ he said.

‘We need a CFO who has a sharp eye to look at our finances. We will also strengthen our various departments, especially those dealing directly with the supply of water.’

The district municipality’s long-term goal is to ensure communities have a constant supply of water.

In the interim, it will launch various initiatives, including boreholes – such as those unveiled in uMhlabuyalingana earlier this month – and fix existing water schemes with a faster turnaround for repairing damaged infrastructure.

The mayor said the district municipality would engage regularly with communities, and provide feedback.

He appealed to community leaders, including Izinduna and municipal councillors, to work as a team.

‘The time for grandstanding is over, we must put our egos aside. It will not help us when individuals want to shine, we must find solutions as a collective.’

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