Msukaligwa Business and Community Forum says it has a ‘master plan’ for Ermelo
Msukaligwa Business and Community forum wants to help the municipality to perform better, they don’t want to take over the municipality.
In a resolute move to address the persistent challenges plaguing service delivery in Ermelo, the Msukaligwa Business and Community Forum (MBCF) has sent a letter to the executive mayor, Mapulane Precious Nkosi.
The letter, dated August 11, serves as a rallying call for urgent action and reform in the Msukaligwa Local Municipality.
The letter paints a grim picture of the challenges that have impeded progress and tarnished the quality of life for residents.
Janice Conradie, a representative of the MBCF, elaborated on the issues during an interview. “The accoun division at the municipality is very poor,” she stated, highlighting that there are only 38 000 accounts.
Mandla Zwane, the spokesperson for the Msukaligwa Local Municipality, commented that this was in fact incorrect. Zwane mentioned that the accounts department has 18 258 accounts. These include active and inactive accounts, owners, tenants and farmers.
Conradie emphasised that the MBCF has a team capable of assisting the municipality in overcoming this obstacle.
The MBCF conducted a service delivery survey in August to gauge community sentiment.
The results were disheartening, with a significant percentage of residents expressing dissatisfaction with the current service delivery. A total of 89.4% of community members who took part in the survey, were willing to pay their rates and taxes directly to utility providers like Eskom, and 89.2% were open to paying directly to Rand Water or DWS.
“Despite encountering obstacles and resistance, the MBCF remains committed to its vision for a vibrant and thriving Msukaligwa.”
The forum has formulated a comprehensive “master plan”. Asked what it was, Conradie said she does not want to make it public until the plan is fully in development.
She explained that while the MBCF seeks collaboration, it has chosen to proceed independently with the “master plan” due to the urgency of the challenges.
The goal is to restore functionality and efficiency through a public-private partnership.
“We don’t want to take over of the town or municipality,” Conradie assured.
Read the complete article in Highvelder.
