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Mafube municipal manager sent on forced leave
Mafube Local Municipality executive mayor Jabulani Sigasa has vowed to crack down on incompetence, warning municipal officials and other workers who fail to do their jobs risk losing them.
Sigasa – whose council has sent municipal manager Isaac Radebe on forced leave as a result of what the mayor described as the senior executive’s “shortcomings” – said his municipality was determined to take action against non-performers rather than let them stay on the job, holding back service delivery, all at the expense of residents.
The mayor of the about 58 000-people municipality said this during his address to the Free State Public Accounts and Finance Committee last Wednesday which sat to consider the municipal audited financial statements of the Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA) for the financial year ended June 30 2014.
Mafube received a disclaimer audit opinion from the office of the auditor general for the 2013/14 financial year.
This becomes the fifth consecutive year that the municipality received a disclaimer from the office of the auditor general.
A disclaimer is issued when the financial statements of the audited entity are so materially defective or inadequate that the auditor is unable to and refuses to express an opinion on the statements.
The audit report said management did not adequately respond to AGSA’s message as they did not effectively discharge their oversight responsibilities to ensure an improvement in the audit outcome.
This resulted in the municipal manager, Radebe, being sent on special leave on December 15 last year as council felt that he had failed to deliver in his oversight role.
“The absence of the municipal manager from this meeting is as a consequence of his shortcomings,” Sigasa told the committee.
“He is currently on special leave following a decision by council. We do have consequence management in place,” he added.
Sigasa was accompanied to the meeting by chief financial officer Andrew Hlubi who is also acting as municipal manager.
A member of the municipality’s internal audit team also attended the meeting.
According to the AGSA report, the leadership did not always take timely and adequate action to address weaknesses in the finance and supply chain management directorate due to lack of monitoring and supervision which resulted in non-compliance with applicable legislation and gave rise to irregular expenditure.
“Leadership did not continuously implement preventive measures to address weaknesses in the control environment to promote ethical values and good governance that protects and enhances the interests of the municipality.
“Consequence management was not effective as the council did not investigate instances of unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure to determine whether any person was liable for the expenditure as the council neglected to appoint a committee to investigate the expenditure,” read part of the report.
It said proper record keeping was not implemented in a timely manner to ensure that complete, relevant and accurate information is accessible and available to support financial and performance reporting, as management did not monitor to determine whether the controls were implemented effectively.
“The municipality did not include all unauthorised expenditure and did not adhere to the disclosure requirements . . . the municipality incurred expenditure in excess of the approved budget which was not disclosed as unauthorised expenditure, resulting in unauthorised expenditure being understated by (R168.7-million),” said the auditor general’s report.
In the previous year the figure of unauthorised expenditure stood at over R186.6-million.
The auditor general was not able to conclusively determine the irregular as well as fruitless and wasteful expenditure because the municipality did not provide adequate information.
The report said the municipality made payments in contravention of the supply chain management regulations which were not included in the irregular expenditure resulting in it being understated by about R13.3-million.
Fruitless and wasteful expenditure was understated by R17.7-million.
The chairperson of the public accounts committee, Rooyen van Vuuren, told the mayor that while there were some improvements, there was still a lot of work to be done in the municipality as it had not improved on its audit outcome.
“You are still in the red but I am much more comfortable with your municipality this time,” said Van Vuuren in his closing remarks.
“You have a very small municipality and it must be easy to bring it out of the red,” added the chairperson.
The mayor said his municipality would come down hard on non-performers regardless of their positions because the municipality was failing to run efficiently and deliver basic services on time.
He said: “The municipal manager is not being targeted. He is the accounting officer of the municipality. Others who are not performing well will also be called to account.
“We cannot allow a situation whereby recommendations aimed at improving our operations are not followed. There will be consequences.”
Mayor bids farewell to China students
Mafube Local Municipality hosted a celebration breakfast to bid farewell to nine students who will be pursuing various degrees at universities in China as part of the provincial bursary programme.
The Free State provincial government has sent 400 students to China this month.
During the breakfast with students held at Retshedisitswe High School in Villiers, executive mayor, Jabulane Sigasa, said the initiative by the provincial government came after a realization that the only sustainable way of rejuvenating the economy is by providing a skilled labour force.
“The farming sector is deteriorating and to awaken it, an investment and training of Free State’s youth would certainly ensure they obtain significant skills and play a meaningful role in the Free State economy and the country in generally. You are not only going to enjoy international knowledge and be able to support your families upon your return but you will be able to serve as examples to your peers that hard work pays and only through dedication, the sky is the limit,” said Sigasa.
The learners have enrolled in various study fields; which includes; engineering, medicine and agriculture.
He also reiterated that, Mafube being a small municipality is very proud to have been able to contribute to this noble and progressive programme of skilling young people and giving them empowerment tools to build sustainable livelihoods for themselves and for the Free State community.
The parents who expressed great gratitude, to the Free State government, for providing free education to their children, accompanied the learners.
“As a parent I was speechless, when my child told me last year that he has been selected to study in China, I thought it was a joke and it will not happen, but today I am here witnessing his departure to China, it is like a dream. We would like to thank the mayor, the premier and his government for putting our children first,” said one parent to Sigasa.
In addition to the full course bursary given, each student was awarded a laptop, a tracksuit, luggage bag and R2 000 for pocket money, courtesy of the Free State premier, Ace Magashule and Sigasa.
Mafube embarks on bucket eradication
The Free State municipality is spending more than R12.1 million in an attempt to do away with the bucket toilet system.
Mafube Local Municipality executive mayor, Jabulane Sigasa, in Villiers, Qalabotjha location, said while the municipality had already eradicated 70 percent of all bucket toilets in the location, a decision was made in the last financial year for the total eradication of the bucket system by this year.
“Currently, bucket eradication is still not complete in extension seven and eight settlements in Qalabotjha, where a backlog of 1 261 families were still using bucket toilets,” said Sigasa.
The municipality’s bucket eradication project started last year with Fezile Dabi district municipality and Bloem Water allocated funding of 363 and 1056 households eradication respectively.
During Sigasa’s visit to the project this week, work was in progress with the connection of toilets in the areas.
Sigasa said he is happy with the progress made on the project and that the residents of Qalabotjha will benefit.
“It is a step forward in ensuring that people receive services that will significantly change their lives for the better. However, it is also to ensure that the municipality is closely in line with a call made by President Jacob Zuma in 2007 that municipalities around the country should ensure the eradication of bucket system toilet,” said Sigasa.
A 55 year old mother living in a shack, Boniwe Shamo, applauded the municipality for the job well done by doing away with the bucket system.
“We have been living in these conditions for years but we are happy now that we will be able to use flashing toilets,” said Shamo.
Meanwhile, a massive construction of R35.8 million extension of waste water treatment works outside the location is underway with 38 percent work completed.
Sigasa said the project is expected to be completed in November this year.
“The upgrading will see the plant handling the growing population in the area. It would be difficult for the plant to carry the whole area of Villiers because of its small capacity. That will also result in some blockages in some parts of the area,” emphasised Sigasa.
The new multi-year project of waste water treatment works which started in 2012 received funding from the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG).
Sigasa turns dumping site into a park
Mafube Local Municipality mayor, Jabulane Sigasa has taken a step to insure that community needs are responded to and fulfilled by the municipality.
The municipality has completed the first phase worth R200 000 for kids park. The initiative was funded by Sasol in Qalabotjha location in Villiers in the Eastern Free State.
The park, which was launched last year during a mayoral imbizo, will cater and respond to safety issues raised by residents.
Sigasa said the last phase which will include an admission block and braai stand will commence in the coming financial year.
“There are various reasons that led us to realise the importance of having a park in this area. Members of the community requested this park for the safety of their children after school because they had no place to play except the streets where they were not safe. Moreover, it was a question of removing unlawful dumping site near our people because it was too risky for their health. It was also posing high risk for elders who attend the clinic nearby due to the smell that use to come from it. It was not good at all,” said Sigasa.
He urged community members to utilise the park for their benefits.
“It is advisable for parents to know where their children are at all times. Leaving them in the park will ensure that any parent can relax and be able to do other things knowing that the child is safe and guarded while playing,” added Sigasa.
One resident, who volunteered to look after the park, Pastor Abram Mphuthi, said he felt like contributing to insure the safety of kids in the community by looking after them and cleaning the park.
“I am part of this community and also have five children who also spend time here and that made me feel a need to play a role in the safety of this children,” said Pastor Mphuthi.
The park accommodates about 100 kids a day.
New township gets electric lights
Residents of the newly established location in Qalabotjha Extension Eight near Villiers in the eastern Free State are enjoying the benefits of having electricity in their houses for the first time this year.
The location, which was formed in 2009 had no electricity and all other infrastructure related services. Mafube Local Municipality through the department of energy spent R5 million during its last financial year to electrify 694 households in the area.
During the visit aimed at inspecting the development on the electrification of households, one of the residents, Ntando Ntlhapo (27), told the municipality’s executive mayor, Jabulane Sigasa, that their life is much better since the completion of electrification a month ago.
“We are happy to have been considered for electrification of our area. The project has changed our lives and gave us dignity. This is what we have been pleading for since the formation of this area and finally the municipality heard our request and answered,” said Ntlhapo.
Extension Eight electrification project, follows the completion of 2 105 households electrification of towns such as Namahadi township in Frankfort, Tweeling, Cornelia and other extensions in Villiers in the 2013/2014 financial year.
Ntlhapo who stay in a shack, added that electricity came at the right time and they will avoid to use candles and paraffin.
“It is dangerous for us to use candles and paraffin now in winter because once you forget it at night it might cause fire that can kill you. Electricity will safe many people’s lives,” emphasised Ntlhapo.
Executive mayor, Jabulane Sigasa, said improving the life of the community is part of the manifesto.
“We want to prove to our people that we are committed to changing their life for the better because they demonstrated that they trusted us by electing us to lead them. I am also happy with the progress made by the contractor and the quality of work done,” said Sigasa.
He said funding of R1 million was made available by the department of energy to help the municipality build the substation in Namahadi.
“We have completed building that substation to ensure that the area of Namahadi does not experience power cuts due to heavy load. This is because of the increasing population in the area and a new township which was formed by people coming from surrounding farms and areas,” added Sigasa.
Another R6.7 million was also spent on connecting electricity to the households and building another substation in Qalabotjha while 300 households were completed in Mafahlaneng.