Msunduzi Municipality gets a lifeline
CO-OPERATIVE Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has outlined interventions the government has made in the troubled Pietermaritzburg-based Msunduzi Municipality.
This was after DA MP Hannah Shameema Winkler enquired whether Dlamini Zuma’s department would consider the deployment of personnel and/or other resources from the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency (Misa) to prevent the further deterioration of service infrastructure in the municipality.
Winkler said residents had experienced months of prolonged and repeated water and electricity outages.
In her written reply, Dlamini Zuma said her department, through the Misa, has already deployed registered technical professionals, a civil engineering graduate and a town planning graduate.
She said the municipality was also a beneficiary of two Presidential Economic Stimulus (PES) programmes – labour-intensive construction (LIC) and innovative solid waste management.
Further support was provided by the government and public institutions, she said.
“The KwaZulu-Natal Cogta support includes the deployment of several technical experts for infrastructure delivery, financial management, disaster management and for the revision of the Local Economic Development Plan.
“Eskom entered into a partnership agreement with MLM (Msunduzi Local Municipality) whereby Eskom committed to provide project management and training support to MLM.
“Umgeni Water also entered into an agreement with MLM regarding the Darvill sewer outfall pipe that requires urgent major repairs.”
The government has also taken other steps to support local government, including the Msunduzi Municipality, she said.
Cogta and the National Treasury were leading the development of the municipal support and intervention plans (MSIPs) in collaboration with sector departments, the South African Local Government Association, provinces and municipalities.
The implementation of MSIPs would be done in accordance with the district development model approach, she said.
“The district development model approach includes the whole of government and all other interested and affected parties to plan, implement and monitor developmental work in all 52 district spaces that cover the whole country,” Dlamini Zuma said. “Msunduzi Local Municipality is allocated infrastructure grant funding annually by the national government that includes the Municipal Infrastructure Grant and the Water Services Infrastructure Grant to fund the implementation of basic services,” she said.
Meanwhile, Dlamini Zuma said she had not been informed about the assessment of infrastructure in the municipality which was conducted by the Msunduzi Business Forum.
Winkler said the business forum had offered to share the information with the government to assist the province and the municipality after conducting an assessment of the service infrastructure there.
Dlamini Zuma said the municipality had stated that it was also not aware of any assessment or study conducted by the business forum.
The municipality was aware of the state of local government report considered by the Cabinet in June 2021, the Development Bank of Southern Africa’s asset management care assessment and KZN Cogta’s assessment of electricity outages in December 2021.