KZN traditional leaders join Cogta, Salga and mayors to find solutions

Traditional leaders in KwaZulu-Natal will be part of a forum headed by co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi to find solutions for challenges plaguing communities. 

The intergovernmental forum will be attended by mayors, MECs, South African Local Government Association (Salga) representatives and, for the first time, traditional leaders. 

“Amakhosi underscore the importance of our collective mission to improve local government in KZN,” Buthelezi said. "From now on, all MuniMec meeting will incorporate the executive committee of the KZN House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders. 

“We believe this is an important step to create a platform where all leaders can engage and find means to improve the lives of communities, especially in areas governed by amakhosi.”

The meeting will focus on issues that need immediate attention, including:

• municipal finances;
• response to natural disasters; and
• compliance inspections of spaza shops by municipal health officials.

Buthelezi was concerned about debt owed to municipalities and its affect on municipal functionality and service delivery. 

“Municipalities are owed more than R3.5bn,” he said.

The national Cogta minister Velenkosini Hlabisa has written to all government departments that owe money and if the debts are not paid by December, the National Treasury will deduct those amounts and pay municipalities directly.

"We cannot expect our municipalities to perform when they don't have resources,” said Buthelezi.

Also to be discussed is the millions spent on outsourcing services, which Buthelezi said should be done internally.

“The concern which we will be dealing with is the issue of internal audits in municipalities. We have 12 municipalities spending R43m on external service providers to provide internal audit functions. That is something we want to do away with and capacitate internally.

“The auditor-general has also raised an issue that councils are not implementing the recommendations of internal audits. Therefore from this meeting we must emerge with a plan to say at least in a calendar year there must be one special sitting where the audit committee will come and brief all councillors on the financial performance of the municipality.”

Buthelezi said natural disasters such as veld fires put a strain on the resources of municipalities and the department has identified 10 local municipalities that will be provided with fire engines. Local municipalities were prioritised because such disasters mostly happened at local level and responses were slow when facilities were concentrated at district municipalities. 

Regarding municipal health inspections and enforcement of compliance, particularly at spaza shops, Buthelezi said: “We have seen in Gauteng a tragic incident where six children died after consuming what is believed to be poisoned snacks which they bought at a spaza shop. 

“We must not look at that as a far-away incident. In KZN we have many spazas selling food not fit for human consumption. It's just a matter of time if we do not do the necessary.”

He said the responsibility of enforcement rests with municipalities and he expects all municipalities to ensure no food is sold that is not fit for human consumption. 

The meeting will also be attended by uMngeni-uThukela Water. The MEC said the water board’s presence is aimed at coming up with a plan where every municipality benefits from resources and expertise. 

TimesLIVE