UThungulu District Municipality struck gold at this year’s KwaZulu-Natal Municipal Excellence Awards held at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Durban on Thursday night.
District Mayor Thembeka Mchunu happily accepted the award for Best Performing District Municipality in the province after showcasing the borough’s key projects, such as the ‘Greater Mthonjaneni Regional Water Scheme’ in Melmoth and eShowe, the KwaBulawayo Cultural Centre and the Middledrift Water Plant in Nkandla.
‘We won this award thanks to the concerted effort of all involved,’ said Mchunu.
‘So we celebrate as a team and I truly appreciate all the hard work done to place us as number one.’
A R1-million cheque was handed over to the mayor who promised to ‘plough it right back into the community’.
‘We are known for bettering the lives of the poor in our communities and we will continue to do so going forward,’ said Mchunu.
She also emphasised the municipality’s focus on acquiring a clean audit.
Mfolozi Municipality winnings
Adding more proud moments to the evening was the Mfolozi Municipality, which won three awards for Best Local Municipality, Most Innovative Infrastructure and Best Community Project.
Mfolozi Municipal Mayor Simangaliso Mgenge congratulated his staff and the region’s municipal councillors.
‘We have 30 councillors working together as one, which has clearly paid back in helping the poor and I am ecstatic about bringing home all these awards.’
The annual Municipal Excellence Awards are hosted by the Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) to recognise municipal practices that improve governance administration and service delivery.
Municipalities are also given the opportunity at the awards ceremony to share their best practice ideas whilst representing their region.
