Pietermaritzburg - A whooping R1,4-billion municipal infrastructure grant (MIG) has been set aside to help struggling KwaZulu-Natal municipalities improve their service delivery.
Mike Mabuyakhulu, MEC for Local Government, Traditional Affairs and Housing, announced the grant during his budget speech in the legislature in Pietermaritzburg on Friday. He said the MIG remained the key instrument that should continue to stimulate job opportunities and improve the conditions for growth and development at local government level. "I am proud to announce that my department has set the process in motion to ensure that adequate capacity exists in municipalities," said Mabuyakhulu. The allocation for infrastructure development in the 2006/2007 financial year is geared towards putting municipalities in the province on a better footing to deliver basic services such as water, electricity and sanitation to communities. Mabuyakhulu also told the house that KwaZulu-Natal had, over the years, spent its allocation of the MIG fund. "This demonstrates our department's commitment to supporting municipalities," he said. Last year, he launched a R62-million water scheme funded through the MIG in the Ugu District Municipality, on the South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal. The Ugu District Municipality comprises six local municipalities and serves more than 700 000 people. The launch of the scheme helped to alleviate water shortages for the coastal communities who had been hard-hit by drought. In addition, in Newcastle more than R35-million was pumped into a water and sanitation project, helping the municipality eradicate the bucket system. The department aims to assist municipalities during this fincial year in providing free basic services to the poor. Other services include disaster management, drought relief as well as the Regional Energy Distributor (Reds) Programme aimed at fast-tracking the delivery of electricity in the province. Infrastructural projects being considered by the department in the 2006/2007 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) include the building of soccer stadiums in Amajuba, eThekwini, Uthungungulu, Umgungundlovu and Ugu districts. The department says it will help facilitate interactions between municipalities and the Department of Sports and Recreation.
Presentation for Seminar
