Salt in the wounds
WHILE every possible means of lessening the effects of the drought and ensuring future water security is being explored, the City of uMhlathuze has expressed grave concerns about desalination.
The matter was debated during an item where drought measures were being deliberated, including possible long-term planning and budgeting for desalination plants.
‘I am surprised to read that we are part of something (desalination) that will deprive us of income,’ said Mayor Mdu Mhlongo.
‘Water and electricity are our main income drivers, so I am shocked at this reckless attitude.
‘How can we be part of something that will be negative for us?’
Owing to load shedding and water restrictions, the city has lost a vast amount of potential income that will greatly affect future budgets.
Concerns aired
A NUMBER of poor performance issues led to irritation, frustration and annoyance during the meeting.
One was the long delays between tender advertising dates and the awarding of the tender.
‘We all share this concern,’ said Mayor Mhlongo.
‘Administration compromises the promises of the councillors and kills service delivery.
‘We need to improve turnaround times. The public is led to think we don’t keep our word.
‘Well done to the committee system for picking up the collusion.’
‘Sad faces’ in audit report
THE 2014/15 audit report for the year ended 30 June 2015 exposed continued massive water losses, and failure to properly address these was severely criticised.
It was noted that material water losses, due to both technical and non-technical reasons, amounted to R36.74-million (16.33 kilolitres).
While much more awareness needs to be spread and a ‘culture of payment’ created over time, failure to address technical issues angered Exco councillors.
‘This matter was raised in the last two or three audit reports and we should have had answers by now,’ said Mayor Mhlongo.
This and a number of others issues could not be further debated due to the lack of attendance by the relevant senior management.
Where there’s smoke
THE October-December quarterly report for Fire & Rescue Services shows firemen attended to 209 blazes in that time period, mostly grass and bush fires (123) but also 15 formal and 11 informal dwellings.
They also raced to 100 vehicle accidents that claimed 12 fatalities and 148 injuries.
The fire station switchboard operators manned 6 714 incoming and outgoing calls, of which 4 371 related to fire services.
In a separate item, confirmation was given that the scheduled date for completion of the new eSikhaleni Fire Station remains 11 June.
Quite a dust-up
THE Infrastructure and Technical Services (I&TS) department came in for a blasting when quarterly reports on the Fleet and Transportation section served before Exco.
Councillors drew attention to a number of issues, including late submission of reports and lengthy down time of vehicles sent in for minor repairs.
Warning that I&TS must be called to account for the ‘very disappointing’ absence of managers without apology, which hindered the Exco debate and progress on items, Mayor Mhlongo said ‘the efficiency of the fleet services will be reflected in our response to communities.
‘The cumulative effect will result in poor or late service.
‘We have also been waiting for some time for the results of the paid-for report on whether we should outsource our vehicle fleet.’
Serious dust pollution is being experienced at the fleet workshops, the probable source being the adjacent Lafarge cement premises.
Apart from damage to vehicles, there were also health implications for staff.
Love me tender
EAGLE-eyed officials were praised for picking up probable price-fixing with regard to a tender to lease the flea market area at the eSikhaleni Shopping Complex.
All five tenderers supplied exactly the same amounts and cash flow projections on their documents, thus ‘defeating the purpose of the tender system’.
They had apparently decided among themselves to share the tender, regardless of to whom it was awarded.
The flea market has for the past seven years been problematic for the municipality owing to non-payment for the trading sites.
‘This is an unfortunate turn of events,’ said Mayor Mhlongo.
‘The city is trying our best to give small business entrepreneurs a chance to enter the market and this compromises the tender process.
‘Well done to the committee system for picking up the collusion.’
Prayers for peace
EXCO approved an amount of R100 000 towards a prayer day to be hosted by the Mkhwanazi Traditional Authority at Unizulu on 28 May.
Involving all political parties and denominations, the day is motivated by the need for social cohesion in an area that has a long history of political intolerance.
