CDM makes strides in service delivery

Capricorn District Municipality (CDM) in the 2016/17 financial year managed to intervene in and resolve challenges of water supply, sanitation and electricity at Blouberg, Lepelle-Nkumpi and Molemole areas.
This according to Mushaisane Boloka, Member of Mayoral Committee for Finance at CDM and acting Executive Mayor during the Municipality’s Municipal Public Accounts Committee Symposium held in Polokwane on Friday.
He said a total of 400 rural households in the municipality were allocated ventilated improved pit toilets. “We also managed to electrify about 7 953 households in the district,” Boloka said.
About local economic development Boloko said a transactional advisor has been appointed to assist the district in aquiring a partner to operationalise Motumo Trading Post in the Botlokwa area. The trading post, a white elephant for quite some time, has been the cause of dejection among members of the Botlokwa community who see the establishment as a waste of taxpayer’s money.
On matters concerning local economic development, the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) and Integrated Development Plan, Boloka informed that in 2017 the municipality had developed and approved the District Spatial Development Framework in the line with Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (Spluma) framework. “In accordance with the Spluma, the district has also established a District Municipal Planning Tribunal to implement the framework with the local municipalities of Lepelle-Nkumpi, Molemole and Blouberg.”
He said that at present the municipality has been allocated an incentive grant of R2 922 000 and is able to create 2 116 work opportunities from the EPWP Grant allocated through Alien Plant Eradication in Blouberg and Lepelle Nkumpi. “Additional tree planting was also executed in all municipalities and we also embarked on awareness campaigns for both IDP and spatial planning. Our IDP continues to be rated as one of the best in the province through the MEC assessment tools because of compliance to legislation, public participation, alignment to the National Development Plan, provincial plan and sector plan requirement in terms of the Chapter 5 of Municipal Systems Act.”

Story & photos: Herbert Rachuene
>>herbert.observer@gmail.com