KZN mayors say they have made a difference
Some outgoing KwaZulu-Natal mayors are adamant they’ve made their mark, despite the troubles plaguing their municipalities.
The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal has hosted a dialogue with six of its local government leaders.
KwaZulu-Natal has its fair share of failing municipalities.
Even the capital city is under administration, with historical problems of financial mismanagement and inefficient refuse collection.
Msunduzi mayor Mzimkhulu Thebolla said: “The fact that Msunduzi is under administration since 2017 because the narration that we have been under administration for ten years is incorrect. It’s been under administration since 2017 and I believe the turnaround strategy we have developed puts us in a place where we can now say we are ready to come out of administration.
“Of course, that decision is the decision of the provincial government not of Msunduzi. In terms of us being the city of filth, I believe we have turned the corner in that area. The fact that the last financial year we prioritized waste management because we knew one of the challenges was incapacity.”
Thebolla is one of six outgoing mayors lined up by the ANC to answer questions from the public.
Down the South Coast, Ugu residents have repeatedly decried the constant water cuts they are facing.
The district mayor concedes there are massive problems.
Ugu District mayor Sizwe Ngcobo said: “We are not starting afresh. We have a plan of what we are doing. At Ray Nkonyeni, there was an issue at Gamalakhe, there’s still an issue. And Marburg. You know what is the issue, it’s vandalism.
“On those coastal belts, from Scottburgh to Port Edward, maybe you can leave Scottburgh out because they are benefitting from that pipe. From Umzumbe down to Port Edward, there is a challenge we are faced with of which we are acknowledging and we have budgeted for it almost R30-million to start dealing with it. It’s an issue of aging infrastructure.”
The platform also presented an opportunity for some municipalities to brag about their achievements.
Source: eNCA
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