Residents want Bhisho to intervene in struggling Sakhisizwe municipality

Residents of troubled Sakhisizwe local municipality want the provincial government to intervene to sort out their problems.

This comes after the council decided to extend its municipal manager’s contract, allegedly in contravention of the law.

Through the Xhalanga Civic Platform (XCP), residents have written to the cooperative governance chair in the provincial legislature, pleading with MEC Zolile Williams to intervene in the municipality, as recommended by the national department in May.

They want the province to implement the recommendations of the ministerial task team which asked that directives be issued to the municipality or that it be placed under administration.

This would result in the provincial government taking over the municipality until stability had been restored.

The recommendations were made after another NGO in the municipality, the Cala University Students Association, wrote to co-operative governance minister Nkosazana Dlamini-zuma, complaining about issues. such as poor service delivery and poor governance.

In a letter sent to Thabo Matiwane, the co-operative governance portfolio committee chair in the provincial legislature, XCP appealed for Williams to implement the recommendations.

XCP’S convener, Bulelani Bunyonyo, said the appeal was prompted by the municipality’s decision to extend the contract of the municipal manager, Nomthandazo Mazwayi’s contract by three months, instead of appointing a new acting official.

Bunyonyo said it was clear Sakhisizwe municipality had a number of problems.

“It has got leadership problems, it has service delivery issues. Service delivery is almost non-existent at the moment.

“The MEC must implement the recommendations so that we can determine whether Sakhisizwe should be dissolved … or should be supported by the province and national government to get back on its feet.”

In his letter to Matiwane, Bunyonyo said: “The municipality is underspending on capital grants by almost 49%.

“It is unable to meet its financial obligations to contracted service providers.”

Matiwane confirmed receiving XCP’S letter.

“We have sent it for the attention of the MEC. The feedback by the MEC yesterday was that he was going to send his team to the community and he would await feedback.”

Contacted on Tuesday, Williams’ spokesperson, Pheello Oliphant, said they had not received any communication on the matter.

When contacted for comment, Sakhisizwe mayor Boniswa Ponoshe said she could not speak because she was in a meeting.

Council speaker Nosiviwe Mkati said she had received a letter from XCP complaining about the issue of the municipal manager and was in a meeting to discuss it.