Theo van Vuuren writes:
Since the Government intervened on April 23, 2013 by placing the municipality under administration, a lot has happened, some good and some bad. At the end of the year with festivities on most people’s minds, it was time to reflect and also to take a view on whether we as community can look forward to better service delivery in 2014.
Let me start of by reflecting on the recent events of the past year, where perhaps the greatest leader the country and even world has known the last century, late president Nelson Mandela, passed on and was buried in an event which will be remembered by all. As a country, we lost a man who served his people without reservation and who will forever be an inspiration to many. My wish is that we will honour his memory by taking hands and continue the rebuilding of our city to a new vibrant, prosperous home to us and our children. When Nelson Mandela suffered and fought for freedom, he did it for all and definitely not to see the decline of a city, through negligence, greed, unlawfulness and poor decision making.
In April 2013 the city was faced with a total collapse in service delivery and a non-functional and a near bankrupt municipality. This was the result of years of neglect and a culture of lawlessness, non-payment of services and increased pressure on the infrastructure, as a result of the growth of the city and the mining and energy industry.
It has been a challenge, but also a privilege to be entrusted with the intervention aimed at restoring service delivery, as well as the institutional- and financial capacity of the municipality. I am pleased that over the past seven months, massive gains were made in stabilisation of the institutional capacity of the municipality and placing its finances under control and on the way of recovery. Although many problems still exist, especially in respect of credit management and client relationships, the foundation has been laid to move the city forward, in a sustainable client orientated manner this year.
We also made progress in improving service delivery and have put a strategy in place, which will over time, with the necessary commitment by all, enable the city to eradicate its problems. However, let me caution you that progress made remains in its initial stages and gains we made are fragile. It will still take significant resources and the efficient application thereof, before we will have completed the intervention.
Some of the key achievements and areas of further attention are:
Relationship management has improved through the social media and by direct interactions. A culture of customer service is however still not fully entrenched with our staff and remains an area to be worked upon in the new-year. A state-of-the-art customer call center has been designed and we are finalising funding arrangements to launch the center early this year. The acting Director for Administration: Emile Shongwe, has been providing me with invaluable support to bring this to fruition.
Finances: Through addressing financial systems and strategies, despite still not out of the woods, the income stream required to deliver services is increasing. The number of businesses and customers not paying for services and owning the municipality millions, is decreasing. This will continue to be a priority focus area in the year ahead. The impact of high energy bills and under-recovery during the winter period on our debt levels towards ESKOM, as well as more than R240 million of previously undeclared creditors on our financial position, was painful, but due to the efforts of the Chief financial Officer, Ben Dorfling and his team, is under control. Indications are at this stage that we will be able, in the revised budget of January, to allocate more funding towards maintenance and new capital works, so direly needed at this stage.
Although the situation improved and we are now on a solid basis, the Audit of the municipality once again returned with a Disclaimer finding. This was expected as the period audited was 2012/13, and the work currently being executed could not impact on historic activities. However, the weaknesses in the municipal systems and accounting, as well as performance management, have clearly been identified. We will table a rehabilitation plan to rectify the remainder of these issues. Norah Mthembu, a financial specialist, deployed with me by the Province as part of the intervention, is taking the lead in turning this situation around.
Law and order:
The launching of the Law Enforcement Unit during November was also an important step in this respect and this unit, together with a refocused traffic policing and intensified land use and building control, is actively busy addressing these issues. The problem is vast and disappointingly shocking. Sometimes it would appear as this was a community in a self-destruct mode. If the majority of people, including municipal leadership and staff do not stand together and work towards a more law abiding environment, all efforts to rebuilt the city will be fruitless. Acting Director for Public Safety, Selati Matlebjoanes, is heading the above initiatives with the leadership of Councilor Dereck Skhosana. We have also created a multi-functional team, consisting of various specialists, to enable a one-stop approach to attending to problems. I am hopeful that this will have the desired results.
It is pleasing to report that the theft of water meters have decreased, after reaching endemic levels during the winter months. Within the municipality, we made progress in addressing some of the fraudulent activities and these investigations will continue. A concern remains the vast number of cases being discovered of illegal buildings, land transactions, boarding houses, back rooms, abuse of facilities and inflated contracts. Cooperation with the leadership of the South African Police Services in Witbank, especially Brigadier Cele and Colonels Telemachus and Oosthuisen, have reached higher levels and we foresee that this will enable us to create a better environment for all, as operations unfold.
Service delivery improved, but, as indicated above, is fragile.
Connie Simelane (Full time councilor responsible for Infrastructure) and the Director Infrastructure and Basic Services Kgodiso Mashile, as well as Director for Development Planning, Thandi Biyela, have been performing a massive task and their support in this respect is invaluable.
Waste and refuge removal, is one area where we made significant progress. With a few exceptions, these services are on track and will be further refined and extended. The biggest concern remains the large number of illegal dumping spots, the huge backlog and insufficient coverage of services in the informal areas and continuous illegal dumping by individuals and businesses alike. We have started with a massive clean-up program, focusing first of all on seven of the main informal areas. These initiatives will only be sustainable, when ownership for the environment is taken by the inhabitants. I am pleased that more and more community members are assisting the municipality in making us aware of illegal dumping. I need to compliment the head of Waste Management, Erald Nkabinde, for sterling work done over the past months, in improving this situation.
We are however still challenged with an old vehicle fleet, where we cannot guarantee a full fleet on a daily basis. Areas in Ga-Nala and Phola/Ogies have also suffered as a result of inconsistent service delivery. The reviewing of the fleet is therefore a priority and we are exploring avenues to do so in the near future. It is pleasing that since Johan Botha was reappointed as head of the Vehicle Workshop, his team has revitalized the old fleet for all directorates and nearly doubled the number of functional vehicles being used for service delivery, in a short period of time.
However, the age of these vehicles are impacting on reliability of service delivery.
Water quality has improved, mainly as a result of the improved functioning of the water purification works. Although reliability remains critical, through system management and the quick response time of teams, we are able to ensure water to most areas, on a much more constant basis. Sufficient purification and storage capacity have been created and some of the reservoirs have already been cleaned. Point E has also now been operationalised, and we can expect a better supply to all areas. For areas without piped water, we have and are in the process to further increase the delivery of water through tankers and increased number of communal points.
A particular weakness in our system, is the age of the pipeline, as well as the impact of interruptions of electricity, on our ability to pump water to the purification plan and from the plant to reservoirs. We have decided to install backup generators at the pump stations to prevent a loss in pumping capacity, when we have power outages but due to a lack of funding, this will only be implemented in the new year. Disappointingly, little assistance as initially expected from government materialised and the reported program by Rand Water has yet to be launched. Most of you are still experiencing interruptions as a result of pipe bursts. This will sadly remain a part of our life for a while. The team under leadership of Ben Botes (deployed by the Province as part of the intervention team), however will ensure that these interruptions are immediately attended to.
Although we have improved our current storage and purification capacity to be more than daily needs, future investment to create capacity for growth will be required. This investment will also be needed to ensure water supply to the fast growing urban settlements to the West. At this stage, we have limited funding for the required investments.
Water meters are being installed at a rapid pace at this stage and we hope over the next year, to ensure that everyone has metered water. The change over from unmetered to metered water, was not a smooth process and many mistakes were made, also many people discovered for the first time, the real costs of water consumption. We will continue with this process as it’s the only way to bring expenses in line with income, in a fair manner to everyone.
Sanitation services remains problematic, but our efficiency to attend to immediate problems and part of the backlogs on blocked pipes, has increased. The solutions are in some cases beyond our means at present, but we are continuously trying to mobilise additional support. Main points of pollution to our river system, such as Riverview, are being addressed and the situation has improved, but there is still a lot to do. The heavy rains which filled our dam, allowed us to flush the river and this has assisted to repair some of the damage, but, it would appear as if storm water is also affecting our sewage network negatively. The teams are investigating and trying to implement preventative measures. This will remain to be a priority this year. The head of Department, Martha Letsoale, has a challenging task to turn the current situation around.
We also discovered that many businesses and individuals are illegally dumping sewage and waste into the sewer system. This is one of the reasons, why we experience a high incidence of blockages. I must plead to all, to stop with these practices. This places unnecessary strain on our systems and at the end, the broader community pays the price. We have started to place photos of these incidents on the social media and encourage the community at large to report those who act in a selfish manner, to the detriment of others.
Electricity:
Maintenance and the teams’ ability to attend to outages, have improved and are at a high level. However, our system is old and cable burns are frequent. A problem remains with the main feeder lines, as well as overloading at smaller transformers. Illegal connections are especially dangerous and destructive to our system. We are hopeful that we will be able to attend to some of the weak spots in the system, before the change in the season. Significant resources are required and we are pleased that Anglo has indicated their support, in some of these areas. However, we are faced with a major challenge in finding funding, to increase the capacity at the Doornpoort inlet station from Eskom, as well as on some of our eastern main feeder lines. Until this is resolved, we will again face outages during winter.
Many complaints have been received regarding open meter boxes. This remains a problem as most boxes have been vandalized and broken, mainly by people making illegal connections. I have instructed that all boxes be secured for safety reasons, but without a higher level of self-regulation by the community, this will be a problem for some time.
Pre-paid meters are currently not being installed as we have an unacceptable high level of illegal bridging. It was also a huge disappointment to find a large proportion of our business community going to lengths, to avoid paying for their electricity consumption. We have embarked on an audit to install more conventional and smart meters and to rectify the transgressions as we continue. It is evident that the Council has been losing millions of Rands, the past number of years, by these practices.
Street lighting has been a focus area and nearly 60% of the lights have been repaired. A contract has been awarded which will address all the high masts in early 2014 and the outstanding review and repairs of all street lights, should be completed by March. A big word of appreciation is due to Colin Brentjies and his teams, for managing to keep the electrical system operational.
Streets and roads remain a problem. Initial gains were achieved with the Provincial Government repairing five main roads. However, these gains have been lost with the adverse weather conditions and continuing high incidence of pipe bursts. We are in the process of appointing further contractors to address pot holes, but, to be frank, in many instances roads have reached a point where patching will no longer suffice. Plans are being investigated and a new approach will be required to address this issue. In many of the Western areas, roads have become inaccessible for trucks and public transport. I am hoping that the Head of Department, Loziwe Kama will take up the challenge.
Housing and urban development:
The pressures on housing infrastructure are high and ever increasing. A huge demand for housing is being experienced and this has led amongst others to the proliferation of guest houses, illegal back rooms, and a sprawl in informal settlements. It is estimated that more than 6 000 people stay in back rooms, while 69 informal settlements sprawl the city’s fringes. An estimated 31 000 families are staying in these settlements, where service delivery at most, is very basic or non-existent.
Further urban development and the provision of serviced stands have become a critical priority. To formalise the current informal settlements, will call for infrastructure investment of more than R3 billion over the next 5 years. Together with the provincial Department of Human Settlements RDP houses are being provided but this, at the end of the day, are but a small contribution against the need. However, more than 1 000 houses were completed last year which is significant. The municipality is busy with a number of developments, mostly in the township development stages, and over the next year we hope to be able to produce 3 000 to 4 000 more stands. Private sector development may in this period also result in another 8 000 stands.
An agreement has been reached with the informal settlement committee on short term services delivery and the longer term development planning to lead to formalisation or new developments. Nomsa Nxumalo (Head of Housing) and Mpho Makgalemela (Head of Planning) are steering this development planning and housing processes under guidance from Councilor Leslie Nhlapo. Their work will be determining the future direction and sustainability of the city over the medium term. It is also important to note that the results of a geotechnical study on the Western areas are expected this month. This report will provide guidance on the areas which need to be relocated and those which can be developed. This is a critical component in terms of the longer term land-use planning.
Parks and public open spaces:
The state of our parks remains unsatisfactory. The teams are busy addressing basic cleaning up and grass cutting, and the focus at this stage is on St Georges Park, the Witbank Dam and Klipspruit. We completed the gardens at the Civic Centre with the exception of the children’s play area. As soon as the fencing is done, that area will also be completed. In addition to his other responsibilities, Ben Dorfling has been instrumental in this respect. My thanks to various private businesses that have contributed to the above and who are increasingly showing interest in upgrading parts of road reserves and parks. The “adopt a park and or dumping spot” approach is proving to be partially successful, but deserve further attention.
The refurbishing of the Witbank Dam and Nature Reserve and restating it as our premier recreational area, has commenced and various proposals in this respect are being developed. We have already upgraded part of the accommodation and a major overhaul is foreseen with assistance from the private sector. The embargo on hunting/culling will remain enforce.
The state of other public facilities such as the municipal swimming pool remains problematic. Some proposals have been received on both the swimming pool and the sport stadiums. Recently an agreement has been reached with Black Aces for the upgrading and management of one of the stadiums.
The upgrading of the taxi rank remains outstanding and will have to be attended to in the near future.
The abuse and undisciplined utilization of public open spaces by our own community, accompanied by littering and unruly behavior, is a problem. Stricter controls will have to be introduced.
Land use planning:
Developers in general have been experiencing long delays in land use applications. We have introduced measures to promote better inter-departmental coordination and are working off the backlog. The new Land Use Management Plan has been approved. Stricter controls and patrolling of actual land use utilization have commenced, but it will take some time to restore compliance in the bigger municipal area. Insufficient long term land use planning has taken place in the recent past. Various sector strategies need to be finalised and I foresee that we will be developing a long term development plan, linked to our five year IDP in the next year. The inputs by the private sector and communities in this respect will be critical. Attempts to date, to create regular consultation on these matters, have not taken off as I would have hoped.
The importance to promote local economic development and employment creation in this respect, needs to be recognised and elevated. For this reason the team has been strengthened and Councilor Paul van Castle has embarked on a process, supported by our IDP Manager, Nomawabo Mtshane, in improving coordination with the private sector and identifying blockages to be removed to create a better investment and employment creation environment.
Consumer accounts:
The structural changes to the July accounts linked to tariff increases let to huge unhappiness in the community. Although some part of this had to do with misunderstandings, the faults made in incorrect debiting people on previous payments, as well as the insufficient communication on especially the property assessment taxes and flat rate increases. Mistakes made, coupled by a lack of professionalism from some of our staff, and high levels of frustration by our public, have made this a difficult issue to rectify. At this point it will appear as if we succeeded to address the bulk of issues, but customers are encouraged to approach the Chief Financial Officer directly in cases where problems are still being experienced. Councilor Paulinah Mokwena has a huge task ahead to provide leadership in this respect.
An electronic billing system, either making use of emails or sms’s, are being considered to improve the current problems we are experiencing. The customer call centre, as mentioned above, will also assist in improving client communication and problem solving. 2014 is set to be a better year in this respect.
The state of the municipality as an institution:
The first phase of the intervention was to restore stability in the municipality and to enhance its ability to deliver on its functions. A large component of this has been achieved through not only constructive engagement with the labour unions, but specifically in attending to staffing issues, capacity in key areas through filling of vacancies, addressing unfair labour practices, discrepancies between offices, and improving the staffs’ moral in various ways.
We are currently busy reviewing the organisational structure, following a process of review of the municipal key performance and focus areas and believe that at the next council meeting, will be able to finalise this important exercise which is planned to lead to better efficiencies and focused service delivery.
As part of the above and to improve hands on management and service delivery, both municipal satellite units, at Ga-Nala/Kriel and Ogies-Phola, have been allocated new managers. A change in leadership and the development of improved business models to enhance the functioning of these areas have become a necessity and should start bearing fruit during this year.
There are still various areas where I am not satisfied with the quality of management and professional ability and behavior of both management and staff. Communication with the public for one in many instances, is utterly unprofessional whilst a lack of diligence, urgency and customer orientation, often lead to delays or inefficient service delivery. These aspects are being attended to and by the end of the intervention, I hope that we will have made significant progress. In this respect the support of all councilors and specifically the leadership of Councilor Leonah Ntshalintshali, is critical.
In respect of governance and decision making the municipality is functioning properly, but, the current system of Section 79 committees, require revision. It has become time for the municipality to follow best practice and move towards a governance structure allowing more direct accountability and quicker decision making through the Executive mayoral system. Attempts to introduce this earlier the year were perhaps premature. The current Mayoral Committee has been placed on hold for the remainder of the intervention period and a Section 60 Administrator Advisory Committee, who represents all political parties, is advising me on activities. I would like to thank the Executive Mayor, Councilor Salome Sithole for her support, advice and cooperation during this difficult period. The support by the Speaker for the Council, Augustine Mkhwanazi, is also appreciated.
Conclusion:
We are just more than half way through the intervention strategy, as accepted by Council and by the Provincial Executive Council. The Premier, the Honorable DD Mabuza, as well as Member of the Executive Council, SDP Skhosana, the provincial Director General, Dr Nonhlahla Mkize and the Head of Department Local Government and Cooperative Governance, David Mahlobo, are taking a direct interest in this strategy and are constantly monitoring and guiding the progress. My thanks and deepest gratitude goes to them, as well as key staff in my direct office, Fakile Mbethe, Freddie Mkhwanazi, Melissa Minnaar and Sizwe Maisela, for their continuous support. A special note as well to all staff at all levels in the Municipality, who have embarked on this new journey with my team.
Despite gains made and the turnaround from the situation established in 2013, we still have a long way to go. Priority areas remain – financial sustainability, improved service delivery and good governance. Your support in achieving this, and in doing so, ensuring a better city to work and live in, is critical. I am looking forward to this year in the hope and believe that together we will succeed in restoring Emalahleni to be the jewel of the Province, it once was.
