COGTA Minister to visit Free State Province in support of interventions in distressed municipalities
The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Dr Zweli Mkhize will undertake an oversight visit to Mangaung Municipality in the Free State Province on Friday 22 June, to engage the provincial government and municipalities on intervention programmes to support distressed and dysfunctional municipalities in the province.
The visit forms part of the CoGTA Back to Basics programme aimed at building functional municipalities. The purpose of the visit will be to identify and agree on critical and priority challenges for Ministerial intervention.
Engagements will be undertaken with the Mangaung Metro as well as the following nine municipalities identified as either being distressed or dysfunctional:
a) Mafube
b) Masilonyana
c) Maluti-A-Phofung
d) Kopanong
e) Letsemeng
f) Mantsopa
g) Nketoana
h) Tokologo
i) Mohokare
The support to municipalities provided by CoGTA is clustered into three focus areas, namely governance and administration, service delivery and infrastructure as well as financial management.
Functional municipalities should among other criteria, exhibit strong political and administrative leadership, have political stability, spend budgets as expected, have functional council and oversight structures, undertake regular report backs to communities, have low vacancy rates, a good rate of revenue collection.
They should also deliver basic services to the people such as the cutting of grass, refuse removal, provision of street lighting, water, sewerage systems and other services.
Minister Mkhize met with MECs responsible for local government in March this year and agreed on the programme of provincial visits to provide support in building a local government system that can respond effectively to the needs of the people. Last month he visited the Eastern Cape and North West provinces.
For media confirmations - Nkanyiso Ndadane – 066 480 3430
Issued by the Ministry of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs
Enquiries:
Legadima Leso
Head of Communication
Cell: 066 479 9904
