‘Merger a big boost’

Service delivery will improve in new municipality, says ANC

THE ANC in Sarah Baartman District says the amalgamation of three financially unviable municipalities – Baviaans, Ikwezi and Camdeboo – will improve service delivery in the region.

With the amalgamation, the DA, which governs in Baviaans, stands to lose control of the only council it governs in the Eastern Cape in next year’s municipal elections.

The party insisted yesterday the amalgamation would hamper service delivery as councillors might have to service larger areas.

The DA tried to block the merger, but its court case was dismissed last week.

This means the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) will continue with the delimitation of wards.

Cooperative Governance Minister Pravin Gordhan announced earlier this year that the government was planning to dissolve struggling municipalities and merge them with more viable neighbouring ones.

Baviaans and Camdeboo achieved unqualified audit reports in the 2013-14 financial year, while troubled Ikwezi – the world’s biggest producer of mohair – has been hit by service delivery protests with calls for the provincial government to put it under administration.

Sarah Baartman District Municipality mayor Khunjuzwa Kekana will head a committee of politicians from the three municipalities to discuss what the new municipality should be called.

Yesterday, ANC Sarah Baartman regional secretary Scara Njadayi said the party wel- comed the merger.

“The areas will be complementing each other and service delivery will be enhanced,” he said.

“This [DA opposing the amalgamation] proves once more that the DA is not taking the poor communities seriously.

“The balance of forces has tilted in Baviaans against the opposition.”

However, DA Baviaans constituency leader Malcolm Figg believes service delivery will take a knock.

“Service delivery will suffer because of the vast geographical area that will be covered,” he said.

The amalgamation meant the DA would have to double its efforts and hope residents would place their trust in the opposition party in next year’s polls, he said.

“Of course they [ANC] will say service delivery will im- prove because they have been running Ikwezi into the ground,” he said.

“And now they are piggybacking on the DA. They are riding on the backs of the DA because it is only the DA that can govern well.”

In a statement last week, MDB stakeholder management and communications acting head Bulelwa Mbali-Khoele said remaining community participation meetings would be concluded by Friday.

“In addition, the public will be given another opportunity to air their views and concerns or objections during the 14-day period that they will be afforded following the determinations by the board,” she said.

Other Eastern Cape municipalities that will be amalgamated are Gariep and Maletswai; Nxuba and Nkonkobe; and Tsolwana, Lukhanji and Inkwanca.