Kouga municipality crisis - MEC urged to intervene

The following is a notice of a motion by local DA MP, Elza van Lingen, which was submitted to the National Council of Provinces on 21 September 2011.

The essence of the motion is to urge the MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs to intervene in order to turn the Kouga Municipality back from the brink of collapse.

“Notice of a motion

Honourable Chairperson, on behalf of the Democratic Alliance I hereby wish to give notice that at the next sitting of the Council I will move that

1.  Kouga Municipality is on the brink of collapse;
2. Service delivery is grinding to a halt with unhealthy sewer spills adversely     affecting health and tourism and thereby jobs;
3. The infrastructure is not maintained nor developed in line with the increased housing projects;
4. The administration is nonexistent with no municipal manager and only two of the five directors permanently appointed;
5.  The financial situation is in such a sad state that creditors cannot be paid within the prescribed 30 days, with obscene amounts owed to Eskom for electricity and to the Nelson Mandela Metro for water;
6.  Employee pensions are deducted from salaries and wages, but not being paid over to the pension fund;
7. Therefore calls on the House to agree that the EC MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs should

• accept full responsibility for the complete collapse of Kouga Municipality after his Sec 106 intervention early in 2010;
• now acknowledge the crises and
• enact a full Section 139 (see note below) intervention for the sake of the people of Kouga.

I so move."

The next step? The MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs is required to respond to the motion.

Note: In terms of Section 139 of the 1996 Constitution the MEC is empowered to place a municipality under administration if it cannot or does not adhere to minimum standards of service delivery. Read more ...