As the year starts drawing to a close, the Uthukela District Municipality is finding itself facing a series of daunting challenges. All of which need to be addressed, to assist the area in finding its feet again.
Such are the challenges, that the KwaZulu-Natal delegation to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) together with Members of the KZN Legislature received a briefing from the MEC for Economic Development and Tourism, Nomusa Dube-Ncube and the District Mayor of Uthukela District Municipality, Councillor Simphiwe Mazibuko.
The purpose of the briefing was to discuss the current state of Uthukela District Municipality, which is under section 139 (1) (b) of the Constitution. This is when the provincial government steps in to take responsibility of the municipality, as the municipality in question cannot fulfil its duties.
During the briefing, Dube-Ncube informed the delegation that Uthukela District has enormous potential for tourist attraction.
However, crime and the lack of infrastructure are currently diminishing tourism opportunities in the area—further stating that three local municipalities in the district do not even have enough financial capacity to revitalise small and poverty-stricken towns in their areas. These municipalities rely on both the provincial and national government to fulfil these duties.
The delegation also heard from the mayor, Simphiwe Mazibuko, that due to COVID-19, multiple small hotels have closed down, which contributes to the challenges faced by the tourism industry.
Adding to the district’s woes, Sithole said that the area’s current water infrastructure is dysfunctional and vandalised daily.
Moreover, due to drought, he said several boreholes have dried up. The district municipality will be approaching the Department of Water and Sanitation to request a portion of the Municipal Infrastructure Grant funding for the development of infrastructure.
Local municipalities in the district also lack the necessary capacity and revenue to deliver on other essential services as well.
Amidst these troubling tidings, the delegation also heard about Uthukela District Municipality’s jaw-dropping R799 million debt to Eskom. Furthermore, adding to the debt, the district is also experiencing an escalating number of illegal connections. These place an additional burden on Eskom.
Currently, there is a planned meeting between the district municipality, the provincial department of CoGTA and Eskom to establish a strategy, in order to deal with the Eskom debt.
Enoch Mthethwa, a member of the delegation, requested the district to provide the delegation with information on the debt owed by individual government departments to the district municipality.
It was then established that these departments include the Department of Public Works, the Department of Health and the Department of Transport.
During the briefing, it was established the Provincial Department of CoGTA is assisting the municipalities throughout the province on debt collection, and that the Provincial Department of CoGTA is administering the district on the implementation of the District Recovery Plan.
With Uthukela District Municipality facing overwhelming challenges, what steps do you feel should be taken? Share your views with us in the comment section below.
Author: Quinton Boucher
Edited: Calvin Swemmer
