A delegation from Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality (EMLM) led by the Executive Mayor, Cllr Thembeka Bunu met with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA), Mr Ntandazo Vimba, on 08 March 2022 at Birchwood Hotel in Ekurhuleni, Gauteng Province. The delegation met with the CEO to request intervention to improve the dire state of infrastructure namely electricity, roads and water in the municipality which is putting a strain on service delivery. Of particular and urgent concern for them are the water challenges and dilapidated electricity infrastructure.
Since the amalgamation of Tsolwana, Lukhanji and Inkwanca Municipalities to form Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality (EMLM), the municipality has been faced with a blend of challenges such as inability to pay creditors, lawsuits, disputes over appointments of staff, flouting of supply management (SCM) processes, the tabling and approval of non-funded budgets, a general culture of poor expenditure on capital grants and the delayed completion or non-completion of infrastructure projects, service delivery protests, poor revenue collection and the inability by the EMLM to honour the ESKOM payment arrangements as per various commitments entered into. The latest EMLM commitment on the ESKOM payments were to honour each monthly invoice as it becomes due and a further commitment to reduce the historical debt monthly.
In February 2020 the Eastern Cape provincial government placed the municipality under administration in terms of Section 139(1) and 139(5) of the Constitution.
Speaking to the Executive Mayor she stated that “The purpose of the visit was to engage MISA to seek intervention regarding the challenges that we have as the municipality. Such interventions include deployment of technical staff to assist with the development, funding and implementation of intervention plans”.
“Additionally, we want to appeal to MISA to look into extending the Innovative Solid Waste Management programme beyond the current contract which will come to an end in April 2022. The programme does not just help us in keeping our town clean which makes it appealing to tourists and investors, but it also provides great financial relief to the lives of many unemployed youth in the area.”
The initiative has created 396 jobs for unemployed youth within the municipality, we urge MISA to add more participants as the town of Queenstown is now cleaner which attracts tourists and investors.