IDP workshop draws spirited BCM crowd

BUDGET underspending and service delivery were at the centre of heated discussions as Buffalo City Metro’s mayoral committee members engaged with community members during Council Open Day in the East London City Hall yesterday morning.

The purpose of the meeting was to give feedback on the issues raised during BCM’s Integrated Development Plan (IDP) roadshows, which concluded earlier this month.

BCM mayor Xola Pakati hailed the participation of the wards during the IDP as “fruitful” and said the open day was “held with the intention of concretising the suggestions of people in our IDP and budget processes.”

At the meeting BCM deputy executive mayor Zoliswa Matana acknowledged that some wards could not hold the IDP roadshow due unrest and disruptions.

The roadshow did not reach ward 24, which includes Potsdam and Unit P and is led by councillor Zameka Kodwa-Gajula, as it is bristling with controversy over illegal occupants in newly-built RDP houses. Some of these houses have been vandalised.

Another town not presented with BCM’s IDP is Ginsberg, where service delivery protests last month turned violent.

Yesterday’s event was well attended by community members, ward councillors, business owners, workers unions, political parties and several youth representative programmes.

In his opening speech Pakati announced that the capital budget for the next financial year is projected at R1.7-billion.

R335-million of this will be made available to upgrade and provide wastewater infrastructure and R199-million will be for provision of water.

Road construction has been allocated R240-million in the next financial year and provision of integrated human settlements has been allocated R100-million.

BCM has 164 informal settlements in desperate need of electrification and Pakati said in the previous financial year the metro had allocated R148-million for upgrading electricity services.

“We are therefore moving with speed in providing electricity to people, including electrification of informal settlements,” he said.

He announced that R67-million has been allocated to deal with solid waste management in the metro, including procurement of 20 compactor trucks which were due to be delivered by the end of June.

“We believe that this will go a long way in ensuring that we clear illegal dumps and optimise on our waste collection,” said Pakati.

Despite these announcements, community members in the hall were critical of the mayoral committee for underspending its budget. Last month the Daily Dispatch reported that BCM had spent only 40% of its allocated R1.63-billion for 2017-18 with only a few weeks to go. —