After chaos erupted at the Integrated Development Plan (IDP) meeting in Kinross on April 18, when residents threw the proposed budget at municipal officials and walked out, the IDP meeting held in Secunda on April 19 seemed like a walk in the park.
However, Secunda residents were also unhappy with the proposed budget Jakes Mahlangu, the acting director of financial services at the Govan Mbeki Municipality, presented to them.
According to the proposed budget, property rates would increase by 5.3%, electricity by 18.49%, water and sanitation by 7.3%, waste management by 5.3% and miscellaneous by 5.3%.
“Nersa determines the electricity increase, not us. We do not have any influence over that decision,” said Mahlangu.
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Residents questioned why the municipality needed to budget so much money for office furniture and marketing.
“Is office furniture and marketing more important than fixing street lights, upgrading pump stations or putting security guards at the pump stations?” asked a resident.
Mahlangu said several times that the municipality does not have money, and he does not have the answers to all the questions residents asked.
Jan du Plessis, the chairperson of the AfriForum Secunda branch, said he was chased away at eMbalenhle’s IDP meeting and at the Charl Cilliers meeting, Zulu was spoken, so he did not understand anything.
