KZN Tourism petition; Ward 52 petition: follow-up with eThekwini on lack of progress

Meeting report

Uthukela Tourism, Hospitality and Associated Industries petition
The Chairperson noted that National Assembly Rule 347 refers to petitions lodged by Members of Parliament on behalf of the petitioners. The uThukela Tourism, Hospitality and Associated Industries sector petition – requesting Covid-19 regulations affecting tourism operations be lifted – is sponsored by Mr Lees. He noted a Cabinet statement made the previous week that indicated the tourism sector should be opened and allow international tourists. This would address some of the concerns raised by the petitioners.

Mr R Lees (DA) said that some matters raised in the petition may be long overdue but are still significant to the tourism sector. The petitioners will be able to provide more information on these matters to ensure the Committee assists the sector as required. He introduced the team from the Drakensburg Experience Tourism Association and said that tourism in the central Drakensburg area is a major contributor to the economy. 

Ms Megan Bedingham, Owner and Operator: The Cavern, said that a petition representing 125 members from the Drakensburg Experience Tourism Association was submitted to highlight the impact of lockdown and the loss of 2 041 jobs in the area which worsened the socio-economic state. While there has been a recovery in the sector, many tourism employees still find themselves unemployed and foreign markets are closed. There has been support from the domestic market but the market is saturated with rate cuts which are not sustainable in the long term. The desired outcomes from the petition include tabling workable initiatives and solutions and for Parliament to fast-track its report and respond in 14 days.

Ms Chantal Singh, Owner and Operator: Inkosana Berg Lodge, outlined the impact of the lockdown on small businesses which included stock losses, operational challenges and locked borders. She said communication with community tourism organizations (CTOs) would have resulted in better cooperation instead of the one-shoe-fits-all approach that was used. Some solutions would be to allow relief packages for small businesses to apply for Covid loans with the banks, for utilities such as Eskom to provide Covid credit lines for small businesses, to provide a fiscal stimulus package to women in the tourism sector as a form of recovery to the sector, reduced red tape and the provision of domestic marketing stipends to CTOs.

Mr Steve Maquet, Operator: Champagne Sports Resort, said the impact of the lockdown on the resort included the effect on staff (reduced salary, short working time), decreased occupancy of 40% and revenue. The number of travellers decreased by 71% between 2019 and 2020 and a 72.6%. decrease in the number of tourists in 2020. Suggested solutions are support to the TERS programme for employees, wage support, establishing a tax base in the tourism sector for small businesses, drafting a global marketing plan and strengthening capability through rural development, vaccination and education drives, and consultation with the tourism sector on lockdown measures.  

Ms Fiona Brooke-Leggatt, Chairperson: Private Charter Passenger Association (PCPA), explained the work done by PCPA and outlined the effects of the lockdown on Charter and Tourism Permit Holders. This includes no work for workers since the lockdown was initiated, no work income especially since no assistance was received from government and licensing fees still had to be paid even though there were no operations. Licensing fees for permit holders for the first 9 months of the lockdown was R9.15 million and R18.3 million to date. Assistance could be provided through a rebate on licensing fees from 26 March 2020; release of the gazette by the Department of Transport; advocate for the removal of the red zone South Africa has been placed under by the international community and the utilization of tourist coaches, that have not been operating, as mobile vaccination sites by the Department of Health.

Ms Bedingham said that the most important solution is that vaccination takes place and that staff and communities are educated on the importance of vaccinating. The 300 coaches could administer 175 vaccines each per day which means an additional 52 500 vaccinations per day can be done. Unemployed staff and employees that are working shorter periods need to be assisted with TERS payments before the end of 2021. The Departments of Health, Transport and Tourism need to work together to provide relief.

COGTA response
Mr Mmaphaka Tau, Deputy Director-General: National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC), said that the concerns raised by the Tourism Association are wide ranging issues that affect more than one sector and that the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) is relevant to noting these concerns as they revolve around the COVID regulatory arrangements, the vaccination process to enable tourism recovery and the support interventions should be responsive to the economic recovery for the tourism sector.

The framework of the Disaster Management function is multi sector based and is achieved through contribution from various stakeholders. All sectors were encouraged to contribute to the measures containing the spread of COVID. A declaration on the framework was necessary to enable sector departments to activate their contingency arrangements to enhance legislation. Regulatory measures were a contribution from the various sectors. Sector departments are part of the National Intelligence Co-ordinating Committee (NICOC). Every second week reports with recommendations are compiled based on each sector and forwarded to the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) and Cabinet where the COGTA Minister, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, will hold a meeting to finalize new regulations.

Mr Tau proposed that the tourism sector representatives should approach the Department of Tourism (DoT) Director-General and table these concerns so DoT can process the proposals through NICOC for implementation and incorporation. He also accepted the oral submissions and said that the issues can be forwarded on behalf of the sector to NICOC. The standards for the tourism sector have been adopted and the regulations amended for Level 3 Lockdown. The rollout of vaccinations is satisfactory and is at an accelerated stage. He proposed that the tourism sector representatives approach the relevant parliamentary committee being the Portfolio Committee on Tourism so there are further inputs before submissions are made. All role players should familiarize themselves with the tourism standards and identify if there is still a need to make a further submission.

Mr Themba Fosi, COGTA Deputy Director-General: Local Government Support and Interventions Management, said that the immediate concerns need to be identified based on the relief measures and support provided by government. Proposals such as the vaccination drive will be considered to ensure that the affected sectors can express responses clearly.

The District Development Model focuses on the development of the economic recovery plan which should be informed by every contribution from stakeholders so departments can be held accountable for their commitments to the plan and infrastructure maintenance.

The Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) conditions have been amended to allow for 10% to be used for repairs and maintenance as well as 5% for asset management planning. The measures have been introduced to assist municipalities in addressing continual challenges of aging and collapsing infrastructure.

Mr Fosi appreciated the commitment of the tourism representatives in collaborating with government especially since the District Development Model is a collaborative effort for all stakeholders not just government. Tourism is a critical sector in driving economic growth so it should be prioritized in the creation of jobs and the reduction of poverty. The issues raised will be addressed through the necessary processes. Work with the Provincial Department will ensure that through the One Plans, the economic recovery plans can be developed and assessed if they address issues.

Ms Funi Makhanya, KZN COGTA Chief Director for Public Participation, said that the issues raised by the tourism representatives have been noted and that the KZN COGTA Provincial Department is committed to working with national COGTA on the process for addressing these concerns. A report will be compiled from the internal executive meeting with the KZN Provincial Department of Tourism on the urgent matters that have been raised.

Discussion
The Chairperson said that the Committee received this petition because it is responsible for the National Disaster Management Act and its regulations. This petition was referred to the Speaker in September 2020 and Mr Tau's response and proposals are not going to work. The only option is for the matter to be handed to National COGTA so that it is escalated to NICOC and for tourism representatives to oppose amendments to the regulations already made. When a matter is escalated to Parliament it means that all solutions have been exhausted.

Mr C Brink (DA) said that it would not be fair to refer the petitioners back to the DoT Director-General but rather the suggestions can be directly forwarded to NICOC and NCCC. Concrete proposals need to be the focus of discussions. He referred to the bus operator who renewed his licence before the national lockdown but did not operate. There should be an appeals process to allow operators and licence holders to receive rebates on these payments. The NDMC should address the concerns of the petitioners without referring them to other departments.

Mr I Groenewald (FF+) said that there are a few departments that are affected by the petition and that COGTA must ensure that there is coordination between the various departments especially the Department of Tourism which interlinks with many departments. Proper suggestions and submissions must be submitted to the NCCC by the Portfolio Committee. He suggested that the Committee schedule a meeting with the other departments to discuss the suggestions raised and for those departments to make inputs.

Ms E Spies (DA) thanked the petitioners for the solutions that were brought forward. When the regulations process was explained by the NDMC it was not clear what happens on the ground which is why petitioners have raised concerns. The tourism sector must prepare for the upcoming season even though it is uncertain what the situation will be at the time. There must be a sense of urgency on the matters raised because the failure of the tourism sector will affect the whole country. The recommendations by the petitioners are practical and should be considered in the proposed 14 days. On the suggestion that tourist coaches are used as mobile vaccination sites, the idea is proactive and should be explored.

Ms H Mkhaliphi (EFF) said that some of the points raised by the petitioners are disturbing especially 2 041 employees losing their jobs as unemployment is already a challenge in the country. She asked if the petitioners engaged with the Provincial Department of Tourism, if so, what happened during the engagements. The Committee has to discuss major disaster challenges in the country such as unemployment. Tourism is a sector that creates employment and it is unacceptable that 20 years after democracy a particular industry is still dominated by a single race; there needs to be transformation.

She asked what DoT is doing to ensure that this transformation takes place because there is a gap between the rich and the poor and said the issue cannot be ignored any longer. There were discussions about funds being allocated to assist the tourism industry. She asked the petitioners if efforts were made to receive the funds and, if so, what happened to the funds.  

Mr K Ceza (EFF) said the focus should be on fast-tracking the vaccination rollout and the transformation of the tourism industry. That industry is controlled by large entities and established enterprises while emerging entities remain at the bottom of the chain. There are seemingly no efforts by the large tourist entities to allow opportunities for upcoming SMMEs especially in rural development. He also asked how many applicants applied for the Tourism Relief Fund of R200 million and the criteria used for the allocation. The Portfolio Committee regularly receives petitions on the relaxation of lockdown regulations. Dr Tau is aware of the written petition that has been forwarded to the NDMC on the vulnerability of workers in the tourism sector. There should be firm measures taken in dealing with the concerns that have been raised.

Mr Lees thanked the Committee for considering the petition. He asked if using tourist coaches is practical for mobile vaccination sites because the vaccines have to be refrigerated. He asked if enough research has been done on the recommendation and if authorities have been approached on the matter.

Petitioners and COGTA responses
Ms Bedingham replied that work has been done with stakeholders and the norms and standards are well understood and can be used in the work that has been done.

On the mobile vaccination sites, Ms Brooke-Leggatt replied that proposals have been sent to the provincial departments, the Department of Health, NetCare, Aspen Pharmaceuticals and various institutions responsible for vaccine rollout but a response has not been received. It has been researched. The coaches have enough space for nurse work stations, 8 individual cubicles, 2 refrigerators, a toilet on the bus, 8 semi-reclining vaccination chairs, 2 entrances, a generator, 8 patients every 15 minutes per bus is 32 patients per hour which would amount to 260 patients per bus per day. The plan was to rollout 200 buses across the country especially in rural areas for farm workers, hotel workers, rural schools, universities, mines and sporting facilities. This would prevent time away from work or school and assist bus drivers who have not been working since the lockdown. There is a lot of red tape when organizations and businesses (Discovery, Aspen, Dis-Chem, and Clicks) want to set up vaccination sites so each bus will be equipped with all the necessary resources.

Ms Bedingham said that the tourism sector works hard to promote tourism and there are concerns about the ongoing job losses that are happening. Work is being done with communities and ECD centres to uplift and develop these centres. Training has been set up for therapists and that there are hopes that there will be collaboration with government to improve the current conditions.

Ms Funi Makhanya, KZN COGTA Chief Director for Public Participation, said that it is the first time that Provincial COGTA is engaging with the petition. The accounting officer will engage with the petition so the matters are addressed accordingly by the provincial department.

Mr Tau, NDMC DDG, replied that the proposals made by the Committee will be considered. The matter requires a bottom-up and top-bottom approach to ensure that interventions are done by role players on the matters raised. There are set timeframes for compiling reports on this. Provincial COGTA and the District Development Model approach will ensure that there is coordination between the various sectors and departments.

Mr Fosi, COGTA DDG, replied that there are regulatory areas that can be prioritized to create an environment that promotes economic growth. The transformation concerns raised by the Committee will be looked into.

Ms Brooke-Leggatt said that the Private Charter Passenger Association (PCPA) is a multi-racial organization with only nine white members out of the 75 nationwide operators. The legal documents forwarded to DoT, the Presidency and the Department of Transport outline specific areas where working relations can be established. The documents can be forwarded to the Committee so the initiatives of the sector can be observed.

The Chairperson thanked the petitioners for the submission. This has been eye-opening about the regulations and policies drafted by government. The norms and standards should be looked at by the petitioners so areas of concern can be appealed to NDMC. The Committee is expected to account for the solutions provided to the petitioners and NDMC must escalate the matter to NICOC. The matter is ongoing until all the matters raised are addressed accordingly. Engagements should be ongoing in KZN province to address the matters in the petition.

EThekwini Metro on non-implementation of recommendations on Ward 52 petition The Chairperson asked if the Acting City Manager matter had been resolved with COGTA.

Mr Mxolisi Kaunda, Mayor: eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, replied that there is progress on the matter. He stated that an unqualified audit opinion was received by eThekwini, the downgrading of municipalities was done, three new female HoDs were appointed in attempts to achieve 50% SMS female staff, the first District Development Model (DDM) plan has been adopted. The recent unrest is being addressed as well as the economic recovery plan. He said that the matter with eThekwini Manager has been resolved and a settlement was paid out.

The Chairperson said that the challenges resulting in this meeting are not new and are based on the Ward 52 petition. This is the fourth meeting with eThekwini to follow-up on the petition to ensure that the concerns are resolved to the satisfaction of the communities. The National Assembly Speaker expects a feedback report from this Committee but tangible progress has not been reported on since the Committee visited Ward 52 in October 2020. This is not good enough – tangible progress is important. The Committee would have completed its work if the matters raised by the communities had been resolved. On 7 April 2021 a recommendation was made by the Committee that the Metro should investigate the concerns raised by the Bhambayi Steering Committee but eThekwini did not comply with this recommendation. None of the documents submitted by eThekwini explain why there was non-compliance. An explanation is required.

Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda apologized that the recommendations were not implemented.

Ms Nelisiwe Zama, eThekwini Metro Manager for Strategic Planning, explained that there were 23 issues raised with the following resolutions:
• On Brookes Farm housing, an application was submitted to the KZN Department of Human Settlements and a response is still awaited on the provision of materials for reconstruction. The people who were promised new homes will also be catered for in the application made for materials. Land identification processes are underway for the 30 people whose houses were occupied without consent.
• On billing and water, the matter would be investigated and resolved because plumbing faults are carefully monitored and immediately repaired.
• On Trenance Park clinic, the clinic is within reachable distance for the community.
• On KwaSgcawu settlement, there are ongoing plans to accommodate the residents displaced by the flooding of the floodplain.
• On irregular expenditure, the write-offs were supported by detailed investigations.
• On sewer spillages, eThekwini is looking to implement a programme to determine and monitor sewer blockages, a sewer infrastructure renewal programme and revising the sewer master plan.
• On high water and electricity accounts, the tariffs are approved by the eThekwini Council and are informed by policies and by-laws.
• On rehabilitation of infrastructure, there are 25 year master plans and other strategies in place.
• On upgrading of roads, there are developments to upgrade the roads from gravel to tar.
• On involvement of steering committees, they have been involved and informed of project updates.
• On MPCC police station, there is no intention to build a police station in Ward 52.
• On contractors, the issues have been resolved.
• On food parcel distribution, a process was followed for distribution of the food parcels.
• On Cornubia housing project, set criteria were followed in the allocation of houses.
• On storm water, resulting from the work done by the contractor, will form part of a drainage system since the project has been completed.
• On participation of traditional leaders in the metro council, a process is underway to ensure that all traditional leaders participate in the council.

She provided detailed responses to the assessments done to evaluate the functionality of the 15 wards.

On infrastructure maintenance, Mayor Kaunda said that the Operation Good Hope campaign was initiated where multi-disciplinary team work is integrated for all departments within the municipality and various areas have been visited to ensure quality of services in the secondary towns is improved. Sizakala Customer Centres have been established around the city to allow high bills to be assessed. The matters are escalated to Treasury if intervention is required.

Mayor Kaunda said that the programme for writing off the water, electricity and rates debts of indigent households is ongoing as part of eThekwini’s interventions. There were food parcel distributions that were social relief strategies and those that were distributed in January 2021 for the senior citizens Christmas which is held in December. Ward Committee members are allowed to apply for any other opportunities as they are not permanent employees of the municipality so those who become a Community Liaison Officer (CLO) are welcome to fulfil that appointment.

Discussion
Ms Mkhaliphi said that it is concerning that the Ward 52 petition is being discussed again. In the first meeting there was a suggestion for small meetings to be held in the Mayor’s office so that the issues can be resolved faster especially since some of the matters such as Bhambayi do not have representatives to provide more information. She asked for clarity on the drainage challenge in the housing projects and asked when feedback will be received on the matter. It is unacceptable that a report does not include the way forward on the matters raised.

Ms Mkhaliphi asked for clarity on Brookes Farm because the presentation stated that application responses are still awaited and that the application was revised. The deadline was May 2021 and so she asked for the report on the matter. The former MEC of Human Settlements, Ms Peggy Nkonyeni, was committed to resolving challenges. The newly appointed MEC for Human Settlements, Mr Jomo Sibiya, also showed commitment about Brookes Farm. The issue is understood that there is not enough space/land to accommodate the housing structures but Brookes Farm residents had mentioned years back that materials can be provided instead of the houses being extended. There is no clear progress in addressing the matter because the application for the materials has still not been approved. On the 30 people who have court orders but do not have houses, in one of the meetings she was labelled as someone who took houses from the poor which is expected. However, the report states that the 30 people were taken out of the houses because the house owners came back and chased them away. She asked for clarity because the Brookes Farm project is a Greenfield project so it is impossible for someone to come out of nowhere and claim ownership to a house, especially as the houses were allocated to people but were not occupied by the recipients.

On the Operation Good Hope campaign, she applauded the initiative and asked for clarity on how eThekwini deals with water while the campaign is being initiated as there are households that currently do not have water. A clear plan is needed to address the challenges that exist.

On the challenges in The Association for the Aged (TAFTA) in Amaoti, a way forward was requested from eThekwini. It has been over a year since the request was made. The NGO is still complaining about the high water bills charged on the meter.

There are still storm water and sewer spillages and she asked if this is due to aging infrastructure. Even when these are reported, it takes years before the problems are attended to and she asked for an answer to this.

She welcomed the resolution presented about bills. There are still issues with the charges in bills especially when there is a change of house ownership. She asked for clarity on this. She noted that there is a postage crisis and bills are received late by people. The app that was recommended by municipal officials has proven to be difficult to use especially since there is no assistance from eThekwini.

On Brookes Farm, she added that the report stated that 1647 is owned by Mr Mfeka. Clear proposals on how this will be resolved need to be drafted because 80% of the people who occupy homes in Brookes Farm are not the original allocated people.

Mr Ceza asked for clarity on the eThekwini deputy mayor election as the council meeting to elect the deputy mayor has collapsed twice. On food parcel distribution, the process was supposed to be transparent and he asked about effective communication on this. In every crisis there are always opportunists and he asked how long the food parcel lasted for a family. He appreciated the details in the presentation on the departments responsible for each resolution. He asked about the immediate interventions for ensuring the rehabilitation of infrastructure because there are gaps that need to be bridged between rural and urban areas. He asked about the work done to capture those manipulating the system especially the distribution of food parcels.

EThekwini response
Mayor Kaunda replied that the Committee should assist the Metro in recovering monies owed by departments so that projects can be funded and services rendered.

Ms Beryl Khanyile, eThekwini Deputy Manager for Human Settlements, Engineering and Transport Authority, replied that the May 2021 deadline is an error and the date should be September 2021. The application is being tracked with the KZN provincial office and updates are expected in a meeting scheduled for 13 August 2021.

Mr Lawrence Pato, Head of eThekwini Housing Department, replied that a report on the housing projects was submitted which stated that a tender process was underway in April. Currently there is a process of awarding the service contract. On the supply of materials, he confirmed that a commitment was made by the former Human Settlements MEC and the matter includes a policy issue that needs to be addressed because people have built their own houses which cannot be demolished. However, support can be provided by eThekwini for the houses to be improved. A follow-up was made on the matter to ensure that there is correlation between eThekwini and national government.

On the 30 people, Mr Pato explained that eThekwini had appointed a team onsite to gather more information on the matter and the housing subsidy database was used to gather information on the allocated people. In every housing project, beneficiaries exchange houses that were built after 1994 and those under rectification. These people then return to claim back their houses. If a family is found to be occupying a house, legally or illegally, it is required to be provided with housing. Land identification has been done with the limited budget available. On Brookes Farm, a deadline has been set for 30 September 2021 where transversal issues are identified and forums formed where quarterly meetings are held but feedback can be expected after 30 September.

On the water bills, Mr Sibusiso Makhanya, eThekwini Deputy Manager for Trade and Services, replied that eThekwini is still experiencing challenges in some areas especially in parts of Inanda, KwaMashu and Ntuzuma. The problem is worsened by the water reservoir refurbishments by Umgeni Water since last year. The challenges are when there is load-shedding or pipe bursts because there is no water storage capacity. Load-shedding affects water supply. There have been interventions to address this in the northern parts of eThekwini. Community residents are not always satisfied with the service provided by the water tankers but eThekwini is working hard to resolve the issues with Umgeni Water.

On the aging infrastructure, Mr Makhanya replied that infrastructure design standards are also a challenge especially in Maphephetheni, Mbumbulu and Inanda. Funds have been allocated to redesign the infrastructure in these areas to ensure storage capacity. An additional storage capacity is being built in Ntuzuma to minimize the impact of the lack of water provision due to load shedding.

On the sewer systems, he confirmed that the sewage infrastructure is aging and there are plans to upgrade water infrastructure but there is no plan to upgrade the waste water infrastructure which is why the infrastructure levy is targeted at both water and sewage. There were contractual challenges at the start of the year which affected solid waste services but this has been resolved. Further details can be responded to in writing.

On billing, Mr Sandile Mnguni, eThekwini CFO, explained that the challenges are due to the estimations of consumption. There is an appointed team to deal with the meters that have monthly estimations. There are hopes that estimations will be at 0 by the end of December 2021. Although there are meter readers that assist in determining consumption, the information is sometimes not accurate. Therefore, there are efforts to ensure that accurate information is billed to consumers. System controls also need to be improved because some bills may have been stopped by the systems if the necessary controls were in place. The App is going to be upgraded to ensure that users receive accurate information when it is needed.

On the election of the deputy mayor, Ms Weziwe Thusi, eThekwini Speaker, replied that the first election meeting was on 29 July 2021 and was supposed to be a physical meeting despite the lockdown regulations. A venue was booked and the IEC was present but a quorum was not met on 29 July so the meeting could not continue. It was difficult to schedule another physical meeting within 7 days so a virtual meeting was held on 7 August 2021 but the election could not take place virtually.

Ms Thusi replied that a list of food parcel beneficiaries was submitted by councillors and no complaints have been received on the matter. Each ward was allocated 1 000 food hampers of R600 each which was social relief. The second batch of food parcels was 600 food hampers costing R500 each for each ward and they were given to senior citizens. The City works closely with the provincial Department of Social Development to identify needy families and NGOs assist eThekwini in handing out hampers.

Mayor Kuanda replied that the KZN provincial government has developed a water master plan for the province because of the challenges experienced with water provision. The construction of the Mkhomazi dam is necessary which will cost more than R22 billion to construct. The City is dealing with the rehabilitation and upgrading of some water skills within the municipality to meet the demand for water. When the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform was established there was great excitement because there is a strain on resources when people migrate from other districts to eThekwini. The Committee can assist in developing metros.

The Mayor explained that the Office of the Speaker has not received any tangible evidence or information that the distribution of food parcels has been manipulated. If there is evidence then investigations will be held and those implicated will be dealt with.

Follow-up questions
Ms Mkhaliphi asked for details on the Brookes Farm matter. The TAFTA meters are accumulating estimations and when officials are contacted there is no response. She asked for feedback on how the matter will be resolved. There is a challenge of refuse collection in Durban and when officials are contacted they simply say that there are no trucks to collect the refuse. She said a Department of Human Settlements representative is required to discuss a way forward. Ward 52 challenges can be resolved within eThekwini without going back and forth to the Portfolio Committee by consulting with the elders in Brookes Farm. She welcomed the billing and the new CFO. She asked for clarity on the bills that are not consolidated. The housing project of 60 houses in Bhambayi (Pat Marshal) has not been addressed even though eThekwini claims to have dealt with this. She asked that the images of the current state of Ward 52 (Pat Marshal) be shown to eThekwini. [These images were later shared in the meeting.]

The Mayor said that a small team will be established so the matters raised are attended to and the petition areas will be visited before 13 August 2021 to assess the situation. On TAFTA, the CFO will provide feedback on the progress. The refuse collection issue is understood especially in informal settlements and he requested the names of the areas are specified so the matter can be addressed. Work in progress will be reported on and the Committee will continue to be updated on progress made.

The Chairperson requested Mr Fosi discuss the Chief Operations Officer which has been dealt with by the province and council. Complaints were received from the COO. It has been a year since the matter was raised and a waiver awaited from National COGTA.

The Mayor said that waiver submissions have been made on deputy city managers but there have been no response from the National Department.

On the COO, Mr Tebogo Motlashuping, COGTA Chief Director: Human Resources Management, said that the eThekwini, Cape Town and Joburg metros fall under category 10 of the notice issued for salary determination for senior managers. The Minister had already predetermined the salaries which had to be disclosed in the advertisement for a position. When eThekwini advertised the posts, the salaries were not disclosed. Salaries for senior managers are not negotiable. If a municipality can demonstrate that there is a salary creep upon the appointment of an individual, the municipality can apply for a waiver. eThekwini then applied for a waiver for the COO and supporting documents had to be submitted to support the waiver. However, the supporting documents were not enough to approve a waiver. Additional information was then requested by COGTA and the documents were re-sent with additional salary creep for 3 middle managers who were earning more than the salaries determined by the Minister. eThekwini later submitted an additional six waiver applications. The information has been received and the process has been finalized. The information has been forwarded to the Minister to make a decision. New applications were made by eThekwini when additional information was requested. eThekwini will receive a response once the Minister has made a decision.

The Mayor said that the period between when that information was submitted and today is too long because all the required documents were submitted.

The Chairperson said that it has been a year since the submissions were made by eThekwini and expressed disappointment at the length it has taken for COGTA to deal with the matter. The letter on the waivers should be sent to eThekwini as soon as possible.

The Chairperson asked for comments from the manager responsible for Ward 52.

Mr Makhanya replied that a team will be sent to the ward and a progress report will be sent to the Committee.

Mr Ceza said that there should be monitoring technology to monitor the leaks in the area because people cannot live in such bad conditions.

The Chairperson said that eThekwini had claimed that work has been done when nothing has been done. Accountability lies with the City managers because they need to be hands-on when it comes to addressing challenges. Consequence management needs to be implemented to avoid misleading progress reports. The issues need to be resolved and progress reports will assist in the conclusion of the matters. Then feedback can be submitted to the Speaker. It is unacceptable that people in communities have to approach Parliament as their last resort to the challenges faced in their local communities. The Chairperson applauded eThekwini for appointing competent individuals in public office and wished the CFO well on the new appointment.

Meeting adjourned.