6 June 2008

PROJECT consolidate - government's hands-on local government support and engagement programme - designed to identify challenges that municipalities face and provide practical solutions, has shown great improvements.

Provincial and Local Government Minister Sydney Mufamadi on Tuesday 3 June, speaking at his Budget Vote, said the progress was demonstrated by on-the ground manifestations of progress since the introduction of the project three years ago.

Tabling some of the progress the department has achieved since the inspection of the project, the minister said in 116 of the 283 municipalities, 60 percent or more households did not have access to formal housing; that number has (in a matter of three years), been reduced to 87.

This indicates a 33 percent reduction in the number of municipalities.

"In 155 municipalities, 60 percent or more of the households did not have access to water in their yards or in their dwellings. That number had been reduced to 115 a 35 percent reduction in the number of municipalities."

In 122, 60 percent or more of the households did not have access to electricity, at least for the purpose of lighting. This number had been reduced to 45 - a 63 percent reduction.

In 203 of the 283 municipalities, 60 percent or more of the households did not have access to sanitation at the standard of a flush toilet, a septic tank sanitation system or a chemical toilet.

He further announced that three years later, this number had been reduced to 150 - a 26 percent reduction in the number of municipalities.

"These outcomes suggest profound implications for how we should approach our ongoing task of improving the performance of local government in particular, and of government in general," Mufamadi told MPs.

"Having regard to the ephemeral character of progress which was made thanks to external facilitation and support, priority attention must be paid to ensuring that improved local government performance becomes a self-sustaining dynamic."

In this regard, a positive trend in filling municipal manager posts over the past six years should be noted.

The vacancy rate which stood at 22 percent (about 62 municipalities) as at the end of September 2007, had been reduced to 12 percent (about 35 municipalities) by the end of March 2008.

"This means that 88 percent of all municipal manager posts nationally, have been filled," Mufamadi said.

Over the same period, the number of signed performance agreements of municipal managers had increased from 58 percent to 74 percent in municipalities.

The task of strengthening the financial management and viability of municipalities also continued, and according to the Auditor General, performance with regard to submission of municipal annual financial statements was impressive.

By the due date of 31 August 2007, the number of timely submissions of statements stood at 81 percent (or 230 municipalities).

These improvements he said speak to the effectiveness of the partnerships built with the Development Bank of Southern Africa, the Institute of Municipal Finance Officers, the SA Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Old Mutual Group.

"The consequential and prime task for execution in the medium to long-term is to ensure that we lock in these achievements," Mufamadi said.

Source: BuaNews