Council battling to provide water to drought affected areas
R1.9-million was paid by the municipality to book hotels and hire vehicles, while close to R400 000 was spent on hiring venues and sound systems for municipal events.
ADM is the water-supplying authority for six local municipalities under its jurisdiction, including Amahlathi, Mbhashe, Mnquma, Great Kei, Ngqushwa and the newly merged Raymond Mhlaba municipality
However, due to severe drought, ADM has been struggling to provide adequate water supply in some of these areas.
Intensifying drought has seen dams running dry, and ADM has enforced water restrictions in some of the local municipalities.
This is the same district municipality that in the past financial year failed to pay some sub-contractors involved in the aborted R630million Siyenza contract to build thousands of toilets in a number of villages.
The Siyenza contract came to a halt with some of the toilets yet to be completed.
Last month, the Dispatch reported that ADM’s development agency, Aspire, was financially battling to survive and some critical posts could not filled for lack of budget.
Aspire is also struggling to pay staff salaries due to its shrinking budget, and some posts had to be downgraded.
In February last year, the Dispatch also reported on ADM plans to sell off properties to pay staff salaries and bills. So dire was the financial squeeze at the time that former mayor, Nomasikizi Konza, tried to sell off “non-core” ADM assets.
In a report to the ADM council she proposed the sale of 28 “non-core” items – including land with a claimed value of R43-million.
The list included a R6-million mayoral house and stateowned plot in East London valued at R1.9-million, as well as properties in Cathcart, Chintsa, East London, Haga Haga, Morgan Bay, Stutterheim, Sunrise-On-Sea and Winterstrand.
But her fellow ANC councillors and opposition members disagreed with the plan. At the time, ex-council speaker Samkelo Janda confirmed the council had pressured Konza to scrap the plan and instead increase water and sanitation tariffs, saying ADM would need to find “other ways to raise capital”. — asandan@dispatch.co.za