Parliament, Wednesday, 18 September 2019 – Members of the Western Cape provincial delegation to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) began their week-long Provincial Week programme yesterday by conducting oversight visits to various projects in the Bitou Local Municipality, where they were unhappy about the bad management of various projects.

Bitou Local Municipality is a category B municipality in the Garden Route in the Western Cape. The municipality has spent R605,5 million of an operational budget of R573 million which has resulted in an operational over-expenditure of R32,6 million, according to the municipality’s financial statement.

The municipality’s annual financial statements submitted for auditing were not prepared in accordance with the requirements of section 122(1) of the Municipal Finance Management Act. The delegation was also briefed by the municipality on its cash flow, debt collection and spending on conditional grants, water and electricity losses and water infrastructure maintenance.

The Executive Mayor of Bitou Municipality, Mr Msimbothi Peter Lobese, welcomed the NCOP delegation at the Waste Transfer Station with a briefing on how his municipality manages waste collection. The delegation then proceeded to KwaNokuthula Housing Project.

The Provincial Week Programme provides an opportunity for the NCOP provincial delegations and Members of the Provincial Legislatures to engage directly with citizens on their challenges. The programme further provides an opportunity for the NCOP to receive progress reports from government departments and municipalities on service delivery.

The Provincial Whip and the leader of the Western Cape delegation, Ms Cathy Labuschagne, said although municipalities still face challenges, the delegation is pleased to see improvement, especially on community engagement on the necessity of improving the rate of debt collection.

“We are concerned that some service delivery issues that were indicated as reasons for protests and riots in the area during the months of June and July this year are still not entirely resolved. We don’t want another protest where communities are rejecting the municipality’s debt collection policy. Improvement on water infrastructure maintenance, such as the new pump station and upgrades to five sewer stations that are currently underway, are welcomed,” said Ms Labuschagne.

The delegation will today conduct a site visit to the waste transfer station in Mossel Bay and be briefed on the municipality’s waste collection. Later the delegation will visit the housing development in KwanoNqaba in Mossel Bay.

ISSUED BY PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF MS CATHY LABUSCHAGNE, LEADER OF THE WESTERN CAPE NCOP DELEGATION. 

For media inquiries or interviews with the Leader of the delegation, please contact:

Mlindi Mpindi
Parliamentary Communication Services
Mobile: 081 716 7329
Email: mmpindi@parliament.gov.za