eThekwini Municipality praised for development grant spending

THE eThekwini Municipality was praised for being the leading metro countrywide in terms of spending of the Urban Settlements Development Grant (USDG) by eThekwini Speaker Councillor Thabani Nyawose during a three-day South African Local Government Association (SALGA) National Executive Committee engagement session.

The session involved several municipalities and was held at the Elangeni Hotel on October 12.

Also read: The Association for The Aged hosts combined sports day

Councillor Nyawose said the City has spent 100% of the USDG in the past five years and has received an unqualified audit opinion during the same period.

“In terms of bulk purchases, we continue to honour our financial obligations with Eskom and Umgeni Water. Last week, the Association of Municipal Electricity Utilities presented us with an award for the good work we are doing in managing load-shedding,” said Councillor Nyawose.

He said that despite the tough economic climate occasioned by rising inflation, interest rates, food and fuel prices, as well as a weakening exchange rate, the overall financial position of eThekwini Municipality remains stable and sound.

“We are pleased with the cooperation we are receiving from various stakeholders, including business, civil society and organised labour. Currently, we are engaging with ratepayers throughout the city to form a strong partnership to fast-track service delivery,” he said.

Also read: St John Ambulance to offer free eye-screening for World Sight Day

“eThekwini has seen its fair share of extreme weather events that have destroyed infrastructure, left families without shelter and claimed lives. All these disasters we have witnessed have reminded us of the urgency with which we need to act so that we are able to prevent the loss of lives and livelihoods,” the Speaker said.

He said the City’s rehabilitation and recovery process has been hailed internationally, given the extent of damage to City infrastructure.

City manager Musa Mbhele said eThekwini Municipality’s capacity to hold high-end events was demonstrated over the long Heritage Day weekend where the municipality was able to achieve 95% occupancy at hotels.

“During the MTN8 Cup Final, the City hosted over 60 000 visitors. This demonstrates that Durban is indeed open for business, and people still believe in our ability to host major sporting events,” said Mbhele.

The City manager appealed for support with debt recovery from government departments.

“We are appealing to government departments to pay us what they owe so we can discharge our responsibilities. We are also requesting for the implementation of accredited capacity-building programmes for councillors as part of an exit strategy,” he said.

SALGA president Bheke Stofile said the session’s aim was to engage directly with municipalities on various challenges, as well as to reflect on the best practices in the province that can be replicated across other municipalities to improve the sector and accelerate service delivery.