PGDP: PROVINCE OF THE EASTERN CAPE

MEC LOCAL GOVERNMENT & TRADITIONAL AFFAIRS

Office of the Member of the Executive Council

MNQUMA LOCAL MUNICIPALITY

1. INTRODUCTION

This municipality is under the department's Municipal Support and Intervention Framework (MSIF). All 31 ward committees are functional and there are 31 CDW's deployed in each ward. The department assisted the municipality in its turnaround plan. As a result of the vigorous implementation of this turnaround plan, the municipality managed to link its main building to its satellite offices using the R 500 000 allocated by the department for ICT upgrade. From the R 300 000 allocation the municipality managed to develop procedure manuals for financial management. And lastly for the first time in many years, the municipality managed to submit its set of Annual Financial Statements on time using the R 300 000 allocation given to it by the department. From being one of the filthiest towns, Mnquma has become one of the cleanest towns with visible law enforcement officers.

2. GOVERNANCE ISSUES

To consolidate these achievements, Mnquma has been identified as one of the fifteen (15) municipalities to pilot MSIF and the following support has been provided to the municipality.

To implement the partnership agreement between the department and the UNDP an amount of R 1 500 000 has been set aside. Through this partnership agreement, the department is deploying experts in the areas of Engineering, Project Management, financial management, e-governance as well as capacity building.

The department mobilised specialist support from PWC and other private sector players, especially in the development and implementation of the turnaround plan. The department supported the municipality in the updating and maintenance of indigent register.

Mnquma Municipality (Identified as a pilot municipality for the implementation of the Municipal Support and Intervention Framework (MSIF) has been provided support in the following areas:-

•	Development of Comprehensive Infrastructure Plans - R 400000

•	Maintenance of Indigent Registers and development of Exit Strategy on FSS - R150000

•	Policy Development - R 50 000

•	Internal Control -R 200 000

•	Risk Management Plan - R 200 000

•	Anti Corruption Strategy - R 70 000

•	Training and development of information systems, risk analysis, electronic database on disaster Management- R 120 000

•	Valuations - R 700 000

3. INFRASTRUCTURE ISSUES

•	Free basic energy is provided to 858 indigent households.

•	The department facilitated the deployment of technical officials to the municipality from DBSA.

•	DLGTA in collaboration OSSA -Siyenza Manje managed to help Great Kei from a poor performing municipality to a stable one due to department's hands-on support and DBSA's specialist deployment programme The department appointed specialists to help all municipalities under Amathole District Municipality to compile Comprehensive Infrastructure Plan. The department earmarked the Municipality for support in the updating and maintenance of Indigent Register and development of Indigent exit strategies

4. CONCLUSION

This municipality has graduated from a quagmire status to a promising one, to an extent that its achievements were showcased and admired by many municipalities during the Inter-Provincial Summer School held in Cape Town in April in 2008.