Durban — The Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Velenkosini Hlabisa, will be meeting with eThekwini Municipality officials within the next two months about their strategy to turnaround service delivery in the city.
Hlabisa visited eThekwini on Tuesday to assess the city’s progress following the recent halting of a Section 154 intervention in the city, and to assess the eThekwini Working Group’s implementation strategies to fix the city’s problems.
Hlabisa received reports and presentations from the municipality and KwaZulu-Natal Cogta, represented by KZN MEC Thulasizwe Buthelezi and Mayor Cyril Xaba.
Section 154 allows the national government “to support and strengthen” municipalities’ capacity to handle their affairs and perform their functions.
Earlier in the week, The Mercury reported that Section 154 had been halted following an instruction by the National Treasury and Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana, because it would be a duplication of work that was already being done.
Following the National Treasury’s instruction, Dr Cassius Lubisi who was hired to intervene in the municipality under section 154 resigned.
Hlabisa’s meeting followed the establishment of a Presidential eThekwini Working Group tasked with:
- Implementing the eThekwini turnaround strategy.
- Co-ordinating efforts to position eThekwini as a leading investment and tourism hub.
- Leveraging insights and outcomes from previous interventions.
- Monitoring progress and providing recommendations for continuous improvement.
In a statement, Cogta said that various working groups were addressing service delivery challenges, and working to restore business confidence through co-ordinated efforts involving all three spheres of government, civil society and the private sector.
Hlabisa said that reports from MEC Buthelezi and Mayor Xaba were promising.
“The group has been meeting and giving reports and it’s a positive that at least now there are teams on the ground,“ he said.
Bluff Ratepayers & Residents Association chairperson Norman Gilbert said from the ratepayer perspective, Section 154 is all bark and no bite. He said it’s a legislative intervention. The City can receive advice, but not follow or adhere to it.
Gilbert said he was grateful that the national minister arrived to tackle local service delivery.
“I am encouraged that the new mayor is willing to tackle these issues, it’s just disappointing that ratepayer associations were not invited,” Gilbert said.
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