R45m state boost for KSD services
IN A ministerial intervention into Mthatha’s shocking road, electricity and water networks, Zweli Mkhize, the new Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister was in the city yesterday to announce immediate financial and cabinet support.
He emerged from high-level meetings with top provincial leaders saying that as a first step, R45-million would be pumped into infrastructure delivery at King Sabata Dalindyebo (KSD), Mhlontlo and Nyandeni municipalities.
The financial boost comes as a municipal infrastructure grant and will be spent on fixing the worst parts of the dilapidated infrastructure network.
Mkhize and Deputy Minister Obed Bapela held a series of closed-door meetings in the city’s Mayfair Hotel with Eastern Cape premier Phumulo Masualle, Cogta MEC Fikile Xasa and the troikas of both O R Tambo and KSD municipalities, led by their mayors, Nomakhosazana Meth and Dumani Zozo.
Afterwards, the two ministers held a closed meeting with councillors from the two municipalities and an open one with residents of Mqanduli later in the afternoon.
Mkhize later addressed journalists, who had waited patiently for hours, telling them Meth and Zozo had spoken of many problems, mainly bad roads and erratic electricity and lack of clean water supply.
“KSD infrastructural needs are marked by a historical infrastructural deficit and notable population growth in the Mthatha area,” said Mkhize.
“This has created demands for new roads as well as upgrading and maintenance of existing networks. The municipality does not budget any funds for maintenance of the roads and as such the road network is bad.”
He said KSD’s area was vast and its rural areas were characterised by limited revenue and huge infrastructure backlogs.
The minister noted, however, that the two municipalities had received improved audits. Both had achieved qualified reports.
Mkhize told politicians at the meeting in KSD that the responsibility of achieving clean audits started with them as the lawmakers in the councils.
He said yesterday’s meetings afforded him a chance to understand challenges faced by municipalities and give technical and management support to help turn them around.
The two municipalities also told the minister about their problems with completing a number of service delivery projects, which Mkhize said he would ensure were completed.
Masualle attributed the problems faced by the two municipalities to resource constraints, inadequate revenue collection and, in the case of KSD, having to empty their reserves to pay a land developer who successfully sued them for R300-million.
Zozo said KSD needed about R500million to improve its electricity supply network and about R1.2-billion to overhaul its road network.
“We are dependent on MIG funding and we get around R90-million for rural and urban roads every year, which is a drop in the ocean.
“. . . we also have to build sports fields and other things, which means we can only do around 100km of our total 2 000km road network in the entire municipal area every year.”
Meth said most of the infrastructure was old and despite their efforts, only 39% of the people had access to clean water.