By Zibonele Ntuli
GOVERNMENT will deploy support personnel to weaker municipalities from 1 April in an effort to have such municipalities performing better regarding service delivery.
Addressing the second two-day Community Participation Conference here today, Provincial and Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi said government was acutely sensitive to the need to capacitate weaker municipalities.
He said government expected all municipalities concerned, authorities and residents to cooperate with the officials and ensure that they derived maximum benefits from this support action.
Mufamadi explained that in some cases those deployed would go into municipalities where ward committees were still to be established.
"Municipal managers must identify local people who can learn from these deployees. Only then can we ensure that we create a positive legacy of skills transfer that allow municipalities to professionally manage their own affairs into the future.
"We also hope that participants at this conference will seek to deepen our collective understanding of more profound uses into which ward committees can be put," he said.
The minister said he was aware of almost a hundred municipalities with municipal managers who had not signed performance contracts.
He also called on both councilors and residents of those municipalities not to allow such a situation to persist for another week after the conference.
"Our people, especially those who reside in municipalities which have massive infrastructure and service delivery backlogs will be following the deliberations with keen interest. You are expected to help them recover their capacity for the fulfillment of expectations of a better life.
"This is what our people need and deserve, you dare not disappoint them," he said.
Mufamadi conceded that some councilors were not delivering because they were not full time employees; he however said government was increasing financial allocation to assist the municipalities.
He added that from 7 April his department would conduct integrated development planning public hearings to listen to the people.
Source: BuaNews
Presentation for Seminar
