Parliament of South Africa
Parliament of South Africa
11/18/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 11/18/2024 11:58
Media Alert: Committee on COGTA to Visit Gauteng Municipalities to Assess Governance and Service Delivery Issues
Note to editors: Please find attached a soundbite by the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on COGTA, Dr Zweli Mkhize.
Parliament, Monday, 18 November 2024 - The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs will conduct an oversight visit to Gauteng this week to assess service delivery and governance issues at Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality and Merafong Local Municipality.
This visit follows the Auditor-General's (AG) last audit findings on distressed and dysfunctional municipalities in the country.
Committee Chairperson Dr Zweli Mkhize said that the committee will ascertain the challenges at these municipalities and see how, through intergovernmental relations (IGR) structures, the municipalities can address those challenges and ensure services are delivered to citizens.
On Tuesday, the committee will visit Merafong Local Municipality. The municipality is under an S139(5) intervention and has received disclaimed audit outcomes for over five consecutive years. It has adopted an unfunded budget and failed to implement the Financial Recovery Plan (FRP). The municipality failed to honour its payment agreement with Rand Water, which restricted the water supply by 20%. This restriction has resulted in most of the suburbs not having water. The committee will engage the municipality on the reason for the repeated poor financial performance and how to assist the municipality in addressing challenges to ensure service delivery to communities.
The committee also plans to visit the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, where four different mayors have taken the reins since the last local government elections in November 2021. The municipality has also adopted an unfunded budget for the 2022/23 financial year. Although the financial performance of the municipality had improved from adverse to unqualified with findings, it also had challenges with water quality where cholera was detected, which led to fatalities.
The committee is also expected to have a community meeting in Hammanskraal, where access to clean and safe water is a big challenge. Over 30 people died last year during a cholera outbreak in the area.
Also on the agenda is a visit to the City of Joburg Metropolitan Municipality to assess governance issues impacting service delivery. Since the last local government elections in November 2021, the municipality has had six different mayors. The municipality also adopted an unfunded budget for the 2022-23 financial year and has been struggling with electricity and water supply challenges, resulting in communities having no water and electricity for long periods.
The Chairperson said that the committee will engage the municipality to ascertain the impact of the constant change in political leadership on its operations and ability to fulfil its mandate, particularly service delivery to communities. The committee is also expected to hold a community meeting in Soweto to hear first-hand the service delivery challenges that residents experience.
During the oversight meetings, the committee will receive briefings from key stakeholders, including the Office of the Auditor-General in Gauteng, the Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the provincial Treasury, and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA).
Details of the visit to Merafong Local Municipality are as follows:
When: Tuesday, 19 November 2024
Time: 9:00 to 13:00 - Briefing by the Merafong municipal leadership, Provincial Treasury, Provincial COGTA, AGSA Gauteng, Department of Water and Sanitation, and Rand Water.
Venue: Council Chambers, Merafong Municipality, 3 Halite Street, Carletonville
*Details for the rest of the week will be communicated in due course.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES
For media enquiries or interviews, please contact the committee's media officer:
Name: Alicestine October (Ms)
Cell: 083 665 4345
E-mail: [email protected]
Parliament, Monday, 18 November 2024 - The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs will conduct an oversight visit to Gauteng this week to assess service delivery and governance issues at Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality and Merafong Local Municipality.
This visit follows the Auditor-General's (AG) last audit findings on distressed and dysfunctional municipalities in the country.
Committee Chairperson Dr Zweli Mkhize said that the committee will ascertain the challenges at these municipalities and see how, through intergovernmental relations (IGR) structures, the municipalities can address those challenges and ensure services are delivered to citizens.
On Tuesday, the committee will visit Merafong Local Municipality. The municipality is under an S139(5) intervention and has received disclaimed audit outcomes for over five consecutive years. It has adopted an unfunded budget and failed to implement the Financial Recovery Plan (FRP). The municipality failed to honour its payment agreement with Rand Water, which restricted the water supply by 20%. This restriction has resulted in most of the suburbs not having water. The committee will engage the municipality on the reason for the repeated poor financial performance and how to assist the municipality in addressing challenges to ensure service delivery to communities.
The committee also plans to visit the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, where four different mayors have taken the reins since the last local government elections in November 2021. The municipality has also adopted an unfunded budget for the 2022/23 financial year. Although the financial performance of the municipality had improved from adverse to unqualified with findings, it also had challenges with water quality where cholera was detected, which led to fatalities.
The committee is also expected to have a community meeting in Hammanskraal, where access to clean and safe water is a big challenge. Over 30 people died last year during a cholera outbreak in the area.
Also on the agenda is a visit to the City of Joburg Metropolitan Municipality to assess governance issues impacting service delivery. Since the last local government elections in November 2021, the municipality has had six different mayors. The municipality also adopted an unfunded budget for the 2022-23 financial year and has been struggling with electricity and water supply challenges, resulting in communities having no water and electricity for long periods.
The Chairperson said that the committee will engage the municipality to ascertain the impact of the constant change in political leadership on its operations and ability to fulfil its mandate, particularly service delivery to communities. The committee is also expected to hold a community meeting in Soweto to hear first-hand the service delivery challenges that residents experience.
During the oversight meetings, the committee will receive briefings from key stakeholders, including the Office of the Auditor-General in Gauteng, the Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the provincial Treasury, and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA).
Details of the visit to Merafong Local Municipality are as follows:
When: Tuesday, 19 November 2024
Time: 9:00 to 13:00 - Briefing by the Merafong municipal leadership, Provincial Treasury, Provincial COGTA, AGSA Gauteng, Department of Water and Sanitation, and Rand Water.
Venue: Council Chambers, Merafong Municipality, 3 Halite Street, Carletonville
*Details for the rest of the week will be communicated in due course.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES
For media enquiries or interviews, please contact the committee's media officer:
Name: Alicestine October (Ms)
Cell: 083 665 4345
E-mail: [email protected]