ZF Mgcawu District Municipality

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Council adopts Annual Budget & IDP

During a Council meeting held on the 30^th May 2017, Council adopted amongst others its Budget and its Integrated Development Plan

The meeting was preceded with a process of nominating the Acting Speaker and the Acting Executive Mayor. The Acting Speaker, Cllr M.Bosman was appointed in terms of Section 41 of the Local Government Structures Act (117/98) and the Acting Executive Mayor, Cllr JJJ Olyn was appointed in terms of Section 50 (2) of the same Act.

The Acting Executive Mayor, Cllr JJJ Olyn tabled the 2017/2018 Annual Budget as well as the Special Revised Budget 2016/2017.

On the matter of the Annual Budget, Cllr Olyn indicated with concern that, “receiving a clean audit is no longer enough for the District Municipality but strategic plans to change the focus and also improve the financial position of the municipality is what we are focusing on. The lack of income sources is a major obstacle to growth and development”

“The District Municipality simply does not have sufficient funding to fund all areas that need to be funded. Having taken all these factors into consideration, we have; we have resorted to source alternative revenue sources and in so doing we have appointed a consulting firm on a risk based agreement, internally we have also established an Alternative Sources of Revenue Committee’, he said.

Cllr Olyn also tabled the Special Revised Budget which was necessary because funds were received from Treasury which was not budgeted and included in the adjustment budget in January 2017 as the funds were only received during March 2017.

The Budgets and Integrated Development Plan is an expression of the aspirations of our people. On its own it cannot achieve the desired outcomes. It requires the discipline and commitment of people who are resolute in making sure that institutional efforts are achieved.

Executive Mayor hosts Political IGR

The Executive Mayor hosted the 4^th quarterly Political Intergovernmental Relations Forum (IGR) in accordance with the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act no 13 of 2003

The IGR conventionally is defined as ‘important interactions between government of all types of spheres and levels. Intergovernmental Relations are defined as an interacting network of institutions at national, provincial and local levels, created and refined to enable the various parts of government to cohere in a manner more or less appropriate to our institutional arrangements. It is an evolving system of institutional co-operation that seeks to address the relations of equality and interdependence as defined by the Constitution.

In terms of section 24 of the IGRF Act, it regulates for the establishment of District intergovernmental forums, with the following objectives in mind:

-       To promote and facilitate intergovernmental relations between the District Municipality and the Local Municipalities in the District

-       To facilitate IGR between Local, Provincial and National spheres of government

The IGRF Act was passed to improve coherence, coordination and integration across spheres and organs of government to ultimately achieve the developmental goals; provision of service delivery, alleviation of poverty and development of communities.