The Democratic Alliance has made submissions to the Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) to have the amalgamation of Tlokwe and Ventersdorp local municipalities reversed.
According to Hans- Jurie Moolman, DA caucus leader in J.B. Marks, the amalgamation has failed for various reasons.
In his submission to the MDB, states seven reasons for this failure.
“1. The amalgamation did not cause or result in democratic and accountable government. During the subsequent term and after the amalgamation the municipality had to face interventions by the Northwest Provincial Government in terms of section 139(1)(a) and (b) of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996.
2.There was a severe decline in the equitable provision of critical services to the local communities.
3.There has been no economic development.
4.The decline in critical services and municipal infrastructure that are intended to sustain a safe and healthy environment have reached a stage where maintenance thereof is no longer possible and where some of the amenities are on the brink of collapse. Road jnfrastructure is riddled with expanding potholes and road maintenance to expand the lifespan of municipal roads are non-existing. Private initiatives had to be taken in efforts to mitigate the increasing deterioration of roads and to try and prevent roads from posing a threat of damage to vehicles and injury or death to road users.
5.The geographical distance between Potchefstroom and Ventersdorp has adversely impacted on the oversight role of councillors and more importantly the management of human resources from the perspective of the administration. As a result, and for example huge amounts of excessive overtime was expended by the municipality because of a physical inability to control and measure performance of employees. The geographical distance has also placed a huge and unnecessary financial burden on the municipality to procure and supply goods in order to provide services to the respective towns.
6.There is a severe discrepancy in the revenue collection rate in Potchefstroom and Ventersdorp and a result of a very low collection rate in Ventersdorp, expenditure in respect of both municipalities must be cross subsidised from revenue collected in Potchefstroom. The overall effect hereof is a shortage of revenue to provide basic services in both towns. This is attributable to the inability to localise and manage revenue collection and the fact that the approved rates policy is not applied consistently to residents in both towns.
7.Due to poor management, the decline in revenue and the increased cost in governing two towns from a centralised office in Potchefstroom, there no integrated development and in comparison with the position prior to the amalgamation residents of both towns are in a far worse position insofar as service delivery as ever before.”
According to him many residents in especially Ventersdorp are extremely unhappy about the amalgamation.
“They are being treated as a ‘sattelite municipality’. Councillors from Ventersdorp are just a small group of a bigger collective of councillors who are not from Ventersdorp. Their direct representation has been totally watered down,” he said.
The submissions were made by 31 March. According to Moolman the MDB will consider these submissions in the coming weeks.
The Herald asked the municipality for comment but received none by the time of publication.
