Some MPs have described the embattled Kannaland Municipality as having “no leadership” after mayor Jeffrey Donson snubbed a meeting with the National Assembly’s co-operative governance and traditional affairs committee, claiming “connectivity challenges”.
The intention of the engagement this week was for the committee to be updated on the implementation of recommendations during its oversight visit in January last year as the municipality faced financial woes and other issues.
Provincial government involved in assisting the municipality told the committee that while there were programmes to support it, systemic issues that hamper optimal municipal functionality persisted as it kept on changing administrative leadership.
Senior manager Sandra Greyling said: “As the province, we would have to go back and do orientations in relation to the support plan implementation process. There is still a high staff composition and staff complement not aligned with the needs of the municipality and impacting financial sustainability.
“There is ageing water infrastructure and issues of water quality. We needed to place section 139 of the Constitution to help with the finance, which included imposing a financial recovery plan.”
The recovery plan is currently being prepared by the National Treasury and will be binding on the municipality to implement it.
However, the province also bemoaned the municipality’s co-operation, including actively participating in the process being undertaken by National Treasury to develop the financial recovery plan.
Department of Co-operative Governance DDG Scelo Duma said the municipality reported to have achieved its targets when delivering basic services and responded to service requests in the standard response time.
“Service delivery is being marred by ongoing reports of and lawsuits regarding substandard water and sanitation services. DWS also indicated much concern regarding the status of the water and wastewater works in their visit to Kannaland in February 2024,” he said.
Duma said the municipality was a hung council described as being dysfunctional and they were also greatly concerned about a report not being submitted.
When Donson was called to introduce the team and make his remarks, Kannaland acting municipal manager Dillo Sereo said that he could not see them online and would request his office to give an update on what was happening.
A municipal official with Sereo made their presentation and said it should be noted that the municipality was dealing with the historical issues that came into effect after the implementation of Section 139 in 2019.
Prior to that, the municipality’s financial coffers and audit opinion were at an acceptable norm.
“The municipality believes that the current Section 154 support the municipality is currently receiving if funded as reported will better the status quo of the municipality in terms of provision of service delivery, financial viability and improved audit opinion.”
MP Jacobus Smalle questioned having around 160 temporary staff amid their financial woes.
Committee chairperson Fikile Xasa called for Donson or his deputy to respond to many questions that remained unanswered but Dillo said the mayor was experiencing network challenges while using his laptop and would use his mobile cellphone, however, this was also apparently unsuccessful.
Xasa and MPs resolved that the meeting be adjourned and a physical meeting be held.
“We will have to take note of this. We cannot invite the municipality and its leadership is not here. We are now dealing with a municipality that has no leadership, these are elected councillors.”
Cape Times