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With 100 days having passed since taking over the reigns of !Kheis municipality as Democratic Alliance (DA) Mayor on 25 November 2021, myself and the multi-party governance team is making strides in cleaning up the bankrupt institution that we secured after the 2021 local government elections. This follows my election as mayor by the collective opposition, without any formal coalition having been entered into by the DA.

Progress made thus far stretches from cleaning up the administration to getting the municipality working again and even addressing electricity access and land issues.

Advances include the suspension and further termination of the contract of the Municipal Manager who was irregularly appointed, and the appointment of an acting Municipal Manager. Discipline has been restored in the institution and the face and attitude of the institution has changed for the better. Consequence management is being implemented and eight employees are currently undergoing disciplinary processes.

SALGA has been approached to assist with the municipality’s bloated organizational structure and human resources strategy.

The Section 79 committees and pivotal MPAC were established and are up and running. Ordinary council sittings have commenced, and weekly management meetings are also convened.

Meetings with the ZFM District Municipality were held to request assistance with service delivery. Letters were also sent to COGSTA and National Treasury to assist the municipality with service delivery vehicles. The Internal Audit, Risk as well as Performance Management System units have been reconstructed. The selection of Ward Committees was successfully completed. We also met with the MEC of COGHSTA and secured a commitment from the department to engage with them by way of a multi-disciplinary task team in respect of issues relating to water.

The mid-year budget was approved. A Financial Recovery Plan drafted by National Treasury was adopted. Cost-containment measures have been implemented, with savings being made on fuel purchases and also doing away with catering for council meetings. At the same time, a revenue enhancement strategy has been approved and implemented. The municipality has even summoned previous councillors owing council R800 000 from as far back as 2013, and is keeping the community accountable for services delivered, through the implementation of a flat rate payment.

Potentially irregular contracts have been attended to and investigations into irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure were launched. The Auditor-General has also proceeded with its annual audit.

Various litigation against the municipality, totalling R48 million, is being properly managed with down payments in some litigation matters already renegotiated and negotiations in respect of others underway.

The municipality has opened itself up for potential investors and arranged an investment meeting with business partners. Meetings with solar energy farms took place. The Local Economic Development Forum was convened with positive engagement. The Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) was also reactivated.

Integrated Development Programme (IDP) Consultation meetings took place within the seven townships to prioritize community needs.

The process of land surveying has been coordinated with the roll-out of 3000 erven for the needy. The selling of electricity in off-site offices was integrated into the municipality, as part of improved service delivery.

They municipality rendered support to “Love Life” and other non-governmental organisations to ensure effective community assistance and participated in the back-to-school program at the start of the school academic year.

I also actively opposed the proposed Eskom and Nersa tariff increases by way of a petition, and I am doing everything I can to fight for the residents of !Kheis and to address their complaints.

Having made significant gains in especially the administration, we are now moving our focus towards clean governance, through ensuring financial discipline and compliance to all government laws and regulations. We also plan to finalise incomplete projects and improve basic service delivery, especially securing clean drinking water for communities and facilitating provision of regular sanitation services. With an eye on the economy, we will also focus on reducing red tape to make it easier to do business in !Kheis.

While there is still much to be done to turn around the situation in !Kheis, we remain committed to serving all residents and realising our vision of turning Groblershoop into an exceptional town.

Issued by DA Mayor of !Kheis municipality, Rolf Christie, Cllr