18 February 2008

By Nangamso Mabindla

BUFFALO CITY Municipality achieved a number of substantial successes in its key performance areas (KPAs) in 2007, according to the City's municipal manager, Gaster Sharpley.

These KPAs included ensuring financial management of all assets under its control was effective, efficient and co-ordinated, in order to increase its revenue and meet its mandate to have an effective delivery of services to its people.

"In terms of ensuring co-ordinated financial management and increased revenue management, substantial successes were achieved. These include achieving the targeted 75 percent of project funding spent in the year to date," Sharpley said.

"We also ensured that 80 percent of the municipality's capital budget was spent on capital projects in accordance with the Integrated Development Plan."

However, Sharpley also said that because of delays in handovers to attorneys, a collection rate of 94,3 percent was achieved; falling short of the targeted 97 percent.

Turning his attention to how the City fared in governance and public participation, a proud Sharpley said that a number of objectives had been achieved in the financial year.

"We have achieved 80 percent functionality of ward committees, which includes the conducting of regular meetings with more than an 80 percent attendance rate. We have also developed gender and disability strategies for the city."

The City also held successful Mayoral Imbizos across its 45 wards.

When it came to governance, Sharpley said that the municipality had pulled out all the stops to ensure that its objectives were achieved.

"We achieved the 40 percent target for the implementation of the Municipal Properties Rates Act as planned. We also registered and disbursed Indigent Grants to the targeted 55 000 households," he said, adding that the City had also ensured 85 percent availability of potable water within its borders.

It made sure that 85 percent of its capital budget for transport infrastructure was spent. Another highlight for Sharpley was the 100 percent spending of the capital Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG), which was earmarked for water provision.

The municipality recorded significant success in construction, engineering and maintenance by spending millions of rands on reconstructing and upgrading gravel roads.

"We spent R19,5-million upgrading 29 kilometres of gravel road in Mdantsane. We also completed gravel reconstruction of six kilometres of roads in the rural areas at a project cost of R7,5-million."

Buffalo City's executive mayor Zintle Peter opens a community support centre Water supply was also key to the City's service delivery success in 2007. It provided a R12,8-million bulk water supply to Bufferstrip, Needs Camp and Ncera.

Turning his attention to housing, Sharpley said that delivery was characterised by a number of achievements.

"We achieved the commencement of housing construction implementation in Reeston Phase 3, Tyutyu Phase 2, Airport Phase 2A, Potsdam Unit P, Amalinda Simanyene and other places."

The City built about 1 900 new low cost houses, with high density pilot projects that were planned and approved in the 2006-07 financial year being implement in the current financial year. These included 130 units in the Duncan Village competition site, 131 units in Haven Hills South and 46 units in Mekeni Street.

Looking ahead to the completion of other projects pending funding from the provincial department of housing, local government and traditional affairs, Sharpley said that Reeston, Potsdam and Mdantsane would benefit.

In Reeston Phase 3, a thousand units would be built, another 1 000 units would be built in Potsdam Unit P Stage 2 and 850 units in Mdantsane Bufferstrip: Manyano and Tembelihle.

Source: buffalocity.gov.za