Do the bigwigs in the Makana Municipality deserve the handsome pay cheques they got this year? Grocott's Mail's Prudence Mini takes a critical look at what they achieved in 2010.
Do the bigwigs in the Makana Municipality deserve the handsome pay cheques they got this year? Grocott's Mail's Prudence Mini takes a critical look at what they achieved in 2010.
In May, the Makana Council approved a total capital budget of just over R69 million for the 2010/11 financial year. to be shared out between its five departments, namely, Local Economic Development (LED), headed by Riana Meiring; Technical and Infrastructural Services, headed by Dabula Njilo; Social Services, headed by Mandisi Planga; Finance, headed by Jackson Ngcelwane and Corporate Services, headed by Thabiso Klaas.
Also in this year's budget was a 9.5% pay increase for these managers, including a 14% performance bonus of R107 000, bringing the remuneration package of each to about R871 000. Their manager, Ntombi Baart, pocketed a total allowance of R1.1m, while the budgeted salary for executive mayor Vumile Lwana was R645 235, including transport and cellphone allowances.
Local Economic Development – Riana Meiring
Local Economic Development (LED) has gone full-throttle in revitalising areas of the township using the Neighbourhood Development Partnership Grant of R93 million, overseeing and supporting projects under the neighbourhood development programme.
Near to completion are sidewalks and parking along Tantyi's Mandela Street (M Street) taxi route, Raglan Road, and Albert Street, in Fingo Village. Street lighting along its length has already transformed Mandela Street. Meiring said these projects and other formed an important part of her department's strategy to create a climate conducive to economic growth and development, and were intended to encourage investment in these areas.
Makana Edu Tourism promotes Makana through tours that indorporate meaningful learning experiences. This project aims to boost the local tourism market. The Kaolin Mining Project, still in its conceptual stage, has the bold ambition of setting up a plant in order for Makana citizens to benefit from this local commodity. These ideas both show promise.
Now to the goat project. A sensitive issue in the Economic Development Tourism and Heritage meetings, councillors have repeatedly voiced their frustration as what began with a lot of money and a good idea has ended in near-ruin. But this is offset by the visible work that has being done to uplift the local economy. There is no doubt that Meiring’s non-stop dedication and her support team have worked well this year and deserve a B+.
Social Services – Mandisi Planga
The Social Services directorate has been the focal point of several big issues this year. In October came the bombshell from the provincial health department that, come the end of the year, they would no longer subsidise municipal clinics and that from 31 December, "expenditure on health care services will be deemed fruitless and unauthorised expenditure". "Blackmail" was what Councillor Michael Whisson called it. Pragmatically was how Planga, true to character, responded.
He said the process of handing over control of health services to the provinces had already begun elsewhere, and this directive was merely an indication that it was now Makana's turn to surrender. Council saw fit to give Baart the authority to sign the agreement. Another hefty issue for Planga was a proposed intercity bus terminus and toilet block in the city centre – the source of much verbal heat.
And you would have thought Planga would be in the middle of the fire, guarding the municipality's motives for its plans, which hit a snage when they fell foul of heritage regulations. Instead, the debate was kept warm by Advocate Jock McConnachie, member of the Commemoration Methodist Church property trust committee, and Makana Municipality spokesperson, Thandy Matebese.
Also on the social services turf, and also getting everyone hot under the collar, is the name-change process. Chairperson of the original Name Change Task Team (yes, even that's now in question), Julia Wells, said the municipality had run a series of public participation meetings, where the "overwhelming response" was that the name Grahamstown was offensive.
The directorate has recently faced questions from councillors on its underspending. They and technical and infrastructural services were identified as sitting on their budget, rather than using it to deliver crucial services. Planga receives a cool C for complete calmness above the waters, while there is likely frantic paddling beneath.
Corporate Services – Thabiso Klaas
Corporate Services is responsible for administration such as managing community halls and providing support services to the council, as well as hiring staff, and legal issues. Klaas has not had a dull year, with much finger-pointing at the poor quality of reports on council meetings. There have been strikes against the South African Local Government Association; picketing at controversial appointments – most recently South African Municipal Workers' and Independent Municipal and Allied Trade unions protested the inclusion of councillors in the recruitment process.
Also requiring a response by Klaas were an illegal march by Ward 11 residents, who were angry that a hall they were counting on using had been double-booked. And then there was the boycott of the Extension 9 hall by resident, who demanded that a sacrificial cleansing ceremony be done there, after a worker died on site during its construction in May. A smaller, but nevertheless persistent annoyance for Klaas was having to deal with frequent complaints from councillors that agendas were not being delivered to them in time.
Recently Speaker Rachel Madinda even postponed the Ordinary Council meeting scheduled for 30 November to the following week, on account of this problem. And account of this, Klaas receives a tactful D symbol.
Finance – Jackson Ngcelwane
The Finance directorate is the backbone of the municipality and is led by the quiet strength of the highly efficient Ngcelwane. Bad debt was the major spanner in the works. Makana Municipality is owed money by government departments, businesses and households. The debt now stands at R163 million and the biggest defaulter is the provincial department of public works, which owes about R14.1m.
In response to the cries of councillors, who have protested that a municipality as small as ours cannot carry such a burden of debt, Ngcelwane has said he does not want to head in the direction of the cash-flow challenged Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality and invited any strategy to alleviate the situation.
Baart has since proposed the idea of sending a delegation to petition the head of public works. Members of the Budget, Treasury and IDP (BTI) portfolio committee have expressed their frustrations that those meetings are not being taken seriously, with councillors often bunking meetings.
They also wanted answers from Ngcelwane about the hold-up in recruiting staff to work in the department's crucial supply chain section, as well as the payroll office. There may have been a number of speed bumps in the way for Ngcelwane, but I congratulate him with an A+ for his persistent work, while eagerly awaiting the auditor's report which Baart has said will be out early next year.
Technical and Infrastructural Services – Dabula Njilo
The year for technical and infrastructural services can be summed up in one word, and that's water. The year started off with fears of water contamination due to its dwindling supply during the prolonged drought. At the municipality's water indaba, in September, Njilo said Grahamstown now depended on only one source – Glen Mellville Dam, in Grahamstown West.
The drought meant there simply wasn't enough water to fill the second reservoir. Earlier in the year, the Department of Water Affairs (DWA) released the 2010 Blue Drop report, which aims to improve the quality of tap water. Makana got a Blue Drop score of 36% – a downward slide since last year's score of 58%.
A Green Drop report, which summarises the efficiency of municipal waste water treatment works, gave Makana Municipality a score of 7%. To allay the fears of residents, the results of regular water testing were published on the municipality's website. In addition, better qualified and more experienced staff were appointed.
The water indaba proved a useful way to inform the Grahamstown community about the problems and include them in turning the problem around. The directorate's attempt to clear out the squatter shacks and shed the housing backlog is a plus. As many as 11 000 of Makana's 14 150 low-income families waiting for formal housing may finally receive their first home. It is only fair to provide Njilo with a D for effort.
