MBOMBELA – The Bushbuckridge Local Municipality will remain under administration until it is back on its feet.
This was announced by the MEC for health, Mr Gillion Mashego during a cabinet briefing last week.
He said that both the Bushbuckridge and Emalahleni local municipalities, which were placed under administration in 2013 by the former MEC for cooperative governance and traditional affairs, Mr Simon Skhosana, will operate under the watchful eye of their allocated administrators until government is convinced that they can run on their own.
“The executive council noted some media reports and concerns on the future of the two municipalities which are under administration on whether the administrators will continue as their contracts expire at the end of the month.
“Well, government is not pulling out yet, we are going to do an assessment to determine if the two municipalities can now run on their own or whether there is still a need for the administrators,” he said.
Last year, Skhosana introduced Mr Theo J van Vuuren to the Emalahleni Local Municipality as their new administrator following the Provincial Executive Council’s decision to put this municipality under administration in terms of Section 139 (1) (b) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996 (Act No.108 of 1996).
This is after Skhosana was not satisfied with the performance and the sate of affairs that had crippled the municipality on its constitutional mandate to ensure the provision of basic service.
Some of the problems faced by the municipality included inconsistent water supply, poor state of municipal infrastructure like roads, electricity and waste water treatment plants, allegations of high level of engagement in corrupt activities by some officials and high costs of doing business with the municipality by external service providers.
In April last year, Skhosana – after placing the Bushbuckridge Local Municipality under administration – introduced Mr Martin Sithole as the new administrator. The future of these municipalities will be discussed at length in the next executive council meeting.
