The MEC for the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Mr Norman Mokoena will dispatch a team of experts to the Lekwa Local municipality. The team of experts will comprise of a person who will act as a municipal manager and officials who will assist provide support in the finance section. This team of experts will be deployed to the municipality immediately. They will be there to assist the municipality deal with the challenges that are faced by the municipality on the issue of the municipal manager and finance.
Lekwa is one of the municipalities that had already been identified by the department as needing support together with Mbombela, Msukaligwa, and Nkomazi. This need was identified after the department conducted an analysis of their institutional capacity in terms of section 154(1) of the Constitution of the Republic Of South Africa, 1996(Act No.108 of 1996), as well as Section 105 of the Local Government Systems Act(Act No.32 of 2000).
MEC Mokoena has also condemned in the unwarranted violence, malicious destruction of property, disrespect of the rule of law by certain residents of Sakhile in the Lekwa municipality. “As government, we would like to reiterate our commitment to dealing with all issues that affect communities. We will engage in dialogue and we will work with our communities to ensure that we resolve all issues affecting them,” said Mokoena. He further added that the department will begin a process that will seek to make sure that all the issues that were raised in the report of the investigation conducted in Lekwa Municipality in terms of section 106(1)(b) of the Local Government Municipal Systems Act, 2000 (act No.32 of 2000) are dealt with as a matter of urgency.
MEC Mokoena has also appealed for restraint and calm from all the people of Lekwa. Every possible step will be taken to investigate, apprehend and ensure that the perpetrators of violence and intimidation are brought to book and face the full might of the law.
Enquiries:
Simphiwe Kunene
Cell: 082 413 3931
Issued by: Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Mpumalanga Provincial Government
28 September 2009
Source: Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Mpumalanga Provincial Government (http://cgta.mpg.gov.za/)
