Termination of Intervention in Ngaka Modiri District: Department of Local Government and Traditional Affairs, North West briefing; Consideration of minutes
NCOP Cooperative Governance & Traditional Affairs, Water and Sanitation and Human Settlements
07 February 2011
Chairperson: Mr TMH Mofokeng (ANC)
Meeting Summary
The Department of Local Government and Traditional Affairs,
Some of the questions and comments raised by Members included the apparent superficial solutions presented by Mr Ramagaga, as well as issues pertaining to funding, and the opinion of the Committee as to whether the
Meeting report
Presentation
Mr Seth Ramagaga, Acting Deputy Director-General, Department of Social Development, North West Province, briefed the Committee on the proposed upliftment of section 139 (1) (b) of the constitution in the Ngaka Modiri Molema (NMM) District municipality.
The section 139 (b) notice was served on the
The administrator was tasked with normalising the labour issues related to the district municipality, as well as the implementation of the Auditor General’s report on the
Mr Ramagaga continued by outlining the achievements of the intervention, which included the normalisation of all labour issues. This included the utilisation of local labour forums as a link between labour and management, the development and approval of a new organogram inline with the strategic plan adopted in August 2009.
Other achievements of the intervention included disciplinary hearings pursued against the Chief Financial Officer who had subsequently resigned, as well as other senior personnel. Further investigations into the municipality had resulted in five officials being charged. The review of outdated policies was also ongoing.
Mr Ramagaga added that the appointment of a municipal manager had not yet been successful due to the period of appointment’s only stretching until the municipal elections. The appointment of a new municipal manager was therefore being left to the new administration to appoint. In the meantime, the current project manager had been appointed as the acting municipal manager. Two other cases were also still pending.
In relation to the Auditor General’s Report on the Brazil Soccer Project, Mr Ramagaga stated that the children involved in the project were successfully returned and integrated into normal life and the officials were successfully disciplined, except for one whose case was still pending. Outstanding matters involving creditors were also resolved.
Questions raised by the chairperson of the provincial public accounts committee were answered in a report submitted to the committee.
Under the section 139 intervention, 15 capital projects were successfully implemented, but Mr Ramagaga added that a loan application had been submitted to the Development Bank of
In terms of the fraud investigation, Mr Ramagaga stated that no wrongdoing was found to have taken place, but that the report regarding the legitimacy and validity of recently awarded contracts was ongoing. Cases were pending where anomalies have been discovered.
Mr Ramagaga stated that there were a number of challenges that face the district municipality; these included the challenges such as strikes, poor co-operation between Section 56 managers, as well as badly defined roles between managers and union affairs. He added that further challenges were faced in the finance and health departments, including being understaffed and poorly funded.
Due to time constraints, the Chairperson stopped Mr Ramagaga at this point in order for some of the Members to ask questions.
Discussion
Mr T Beyleveldt (DA,
Mr A Matila (ANC,
Prince M Zulu (IFP,
The Chairperson stated that the committee needed to work on this matter, but that time did not permit a discussion at the moment; he stated that this point could be properly discussed the following week.
Consideration of minutes
The Chairperson initiated a discussion of general minutes. This included the application by the
The Committee was also asked to consider the extension applied for by the Thembisi municipality. The Chairperson asked the Committee to consider the best approach to this application. The Chairperson suggested that communication with the Member of the Executive Council (MEC), or a follow up with the municipality in question would be the best way forward.
Mr Matila agreed that a follow up would be necessary. He added that one of the municipalities in
The Chairperson responded that a close look at the municipalities in
Mr D Bloem (COPE,
Mr Beyleveldt raised the point that the Committee needed to support municipalities before they collapsed, rather than treating the symptom of a collapsed municipality through oversight visits.
The Chairperson agreed.
The meeting was adjourned.
Present
- We don't have attendance info for this committee meeting
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