The South African Local Government Association’s (Salga) deputy chairperson Ntombifuthi Gumede said on Wednesday that there was no room in municipalities for sub-par service delivery, incompetence, and dishonesty.
During an engagement focused on supply chain management procedures within the context of service delivery, Gumede told municipal heads that dignity and respect for municipal administration must be restored.
“Success at the local government level is pivotal, impacting wards and municipalities. Legislation empowers them to lead in the right direction under the guidance of elected councils.
“CFOs are urged to uphold good governance in councils, while municipal finance managers are called to adhere to the letter and spirit of the law for improved service delivery,” the Salga deputy chairperson said.
Salga has hosted a number of events focused on service delivery in recent months, covering water and sanitation, energy, and most recently, municipal finances.
Whether or not these engagements can reap positive results is yet to be determined, as conversations with municipal heads at the Water Conference in Durban in October suggested that infrastructure development projects are a long-term game.
Besides the eThekwini Municipality, which is arguably the only district in the KwaZulu-Natal province able to sustain itself financially by means of tax and revenue, other districts remain largely rural and underdeveloped.
This, compounded by poor funding models, according to KZN municipal officials, hinders the speed and quality of service delivery in their regions.
There are 54 municipalities within KZN, including 10 districts and one metropolitan area, eThekwini.
But the responsibility of efficient service delivery does not rest on the shoulders of municipalities alone, as the deconstruction of national organs like Eskom has hindered service delivery.
Salga also investigated the cost municipalities in KZN incur as a result of load shedding and found that it costs close to R1 billion each year to keep the water network charged during load shedding hours.
“From the 75 WSA (out of 144), the local government is spending at least R443,640,000 to fix WWTWs ( waste water treatment works) facilities that have been damaged and vandalised during load shedding.
“Municipalities are spending at least R480,287,756 on procurement of backup gensets and R482,517,300 per annum on fuel for generators during load shedding,” Salga said in the report on load shedding and its effect on municipalities.
From a national perspective, Salga said municipalities fork out just over R1.6 billion to replace or repair electricity infrastructure that was damaged, vandalised, or stolen in the last financial year.
IOL