Parliament, Saturday, 5 December 2020 – The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) last night received briefings from the Limpopo Provincial Government’s Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, and the national Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs on financial viability and sustainability of the Musina and Fetakgomo-Thubatse Local Municipalities.
The meeting was a continuation of the meeting held on 13 November 2020 where the committee received presentations from the Limpopo Provincial Government’s MEC for CoGHSTA and Makhado, Collins Chabane, Polokwane and Modimolle/Mookgophong local municipalities on challenges the municipalities experience ever since they amalgamated in 2016.
The committee did not receive a presentation from Vhembe District Municipality despite the district’s facilitation of amalgamation process in Collins Chabane, Musina, Thulamela and Makhado local municipalities.
The district reported to the committee that the transfer of personnel during the amalgamation process went smoothly without disputes like in many amalgamated municipalities where such processes are still underway.
The committee heard that 20 of the 100 employees transferred from Mutale Local Municipality to the merged Thulamela Local Municipality are appealing the decision of the Placement Committee and have rejected their placements on the eve of disestablishment and this is currently under arbitration.
The committee heard that although the employees were placed at higher salary scales,
they expressed their unhappiness with their new job titles. The committee also heard that Collins Chabane Local Municipality had rejected 98 of the 198 employees that were transferred to it from Thulamela Local Municipality and accepted the general assistants only.
Through a Service Level Agreement that allows for the use of office space from the
disestablished entity, the district had also addressed the problem around the
closure of the disestablished municipal offices as that results in people living in the communities closer to the closed offices forced to travel longer distances to access services.
According to the arrangement, Thulamela and Musina Local Municipalities are able to use office space of the former Mutale Local Municipality so that people living in communities of Mutale do not travel to Musina and Thulamela Local Municipalities to access services. The committee heard that some residents in the former Mutale Local Municipality were refusing to pay for municipal services and they argued that the merger of the municipalities was not a good move.
Fetakgomo-Tubatse Local Municipality managers reported that the amalgamated municipality managed to avoid the financial management and governance challenges that continue to plague many amalgamated municipalities.
Limpopo Provincial Government’s MEC for CoGHSTA, Mr Basikopo Makamu, reported that the Municipal Infrastructure Grant budget of R21 million was inadequate as the people of Thulamele and Vuwani communities were crying for services from Collins Chabane Local Municipality and that the provincial government must consider resourcing these municipalities towards financial viability in all the four districts. He said the province also experienced a loss in grants such as Municipal Infrastructure due to non-spending.
The committee also requested information from the municipality on the assistance it received from the Department of Traditional Affairs in respect of the traditional authority land boundary dispute that has stalled the implementation of a community sport facility project.
Yesterday marked the end of the committee’s year 2020 programme and the committee is happy to report that it held 86 meetings that were all fruitful and productive. It will schedule a follow-up meeting with the Limpopo Provincial Government’s Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs on financial and sustainability issues of certain amalgamated municipalities.
ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE PORTFOLIO COMMITTEE ON COOPERATIVE GOVERNANCE AND TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS, MS FAITH MUTHAMBI.
For media enquiries or interviews with the Chairperson, please contact the Committee’s Media Officer:
Name: Sureshinee Govender
Parliamentary Communication Services
Tel: 021 403 2239
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E-mail: sugovender@parliament.gov.za
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