ATC230424: Report of the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs on Oversight Visit to Kannaland Local Municipality, 31 January – 03 February 2023, Dated 21 April 2023

Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs

Report of the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs on Oversight Visit to Kannaland Local Municipality, 31 January – 03 February 2023, Dated 21 April 2023

Having conducted an oversight visit to the Kannaland Local Municipality under the Garden Route District in the Western Cape, from 31 January – 03 February 2023, the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs reports as follows:

Delegation:

NAME	POLITICAL PARTY
Hon F.D. Xasa (Chairperson) Hon D. Direko Hon X. Msimango Hon G.G. Mpumza	African National Congress
Hon E. Spies Hon D. America (Chair of Local Government Portfolio Committee in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament)	Democratic Alliance
Hon H. Mkhaliphi	Economic Freedom Fighters

Support Staff:

NAME	DESIGNATION
Ms. Shereen Cassiem	Committee Secretary
Mr. M Dumezweni	Committee Assistant
Mr. Andile Sokomani	Content Advisor
Ms Faith Ndenze	Communication Officer

INTRODUCTION

The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs has resolved that over its current term of office in Parliament (2019-2024) it will intensify oversight over all the organs of state relevant to its mandate, in line with the intent of Parliament’s 2019 -2024 Strategic Plan. This approach is the Committee’s strategy to confront the deteriorating state of local government in the country, and encourage public participation in the affairs of local government as envisaged in Section 152(1)(e) of the Constitution.

The 2020/21 Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) audit outcomes have highlighted several municipalities that have received consecutive disclaimed audit opinions despite being under constitutional intervention. A disclaimed audit opinion is the worst opinion a municipality can obtain.

These municipalities are also subject to investigation by the Auditor-General regarding material irregularities identified in the course of audit. Not surprisingly, these municipalities are also among the 64 municipalities that have been identified as dysfunctional by the Department of Cooperative Governance’s State of Local Government Report to Cabinet. These municipalities are:

Northwest: Kgetlengriver, Madibeng, Naledi, Ditsobotla and Ramotshere Moiloa.
Northern Cape: Phokwane and Renosterberg.
Mpumalanga: Lekwa
KwaZulu-Natal: Nquthu and Ilanga Libalele
Eastern Cape: Makana
Western Cape: Kannaland

The Portfolio Committee has resolved to conduct intensive oversight visits to these municipalities, with Makana, Lekwa and the listed municipalities in the North-West having been thus far visited. While the Kannaland Local Municipality, the subject of this report, has so far been free from consecutive disclaimed audit opinions, it has also attained the dysfunctional status due to chronic political instability. The Committee’s oversight visit to Kannaland is a follow-up on the virtual engagements held with the municipality on 23 November 2022 and 01 September 2020.

DAY 1: ENGAGEMENT WITH THE KANNALAND LOCAL MUNICPALITY

Site visit to the Ladismith landfill site

The Portfolio Committee commenced its oversight programme by visiting a landfill site located in Ladismith, a few blocks away from the municipal headquarters. The site functions as a regional waste disposal hub for the whole Kannaland municipal area, which comprises the four towns of Ladismith, Zoar, Calitzdorp and Van Wyksdorp. Several deficiencies hampering the site’s effective functioning were identified, including the lack of the requisite yellow plant equipment to manage the waste, which renders the site a health hazard. A councillor highlighted the logistical challenges and the related transportation problems around the site’s location in Ladismith, which is approximately 50 kilometres away from a town such as Van Wyksdorp. The recommendation proposed to address this challenge was that the municipality should consider rehabilitating the existing disposal site in Van Wyksdorp rather than closing it down.

The consumption of animals that feed on the Ladismith landfill site is another critical health hazard for the communities that live around the area. The provincial government has been involved in advising the municipality on waste management best practice around the site. The municipality is reportedly in the process of procuring the necessary equipment and introducing mitigation measures such as scales to weigh and cost the waste delivered by private dumpers, as well as improving the site staff complement. A by-law to prevent illegal dumping and other related matters is in the process of development. The next tranche of Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) funding will assist the municipality to purchase a compactor truck. A Public Private Partnership (PPP) is being explored in relation to recycling. However, most of the assistance promised to the municipality by various government actors (going as far back as 2011) has not yet materialised. The post-2016 municipal political environment has seen a serious deterioration, which has discouraged many relevant actors from coming forward to assist the municipality.

Site visit to a Ladismith stadium facility

In this facility the Portfolio Committee noted signs of poor maintenance, which the municipality attributed to inadequate funding and insufficient security measures to counter vandalism. The municipality is in the process of improving the facility’s security. The facility is not a municipality initiated project but was inherited form the pre-democratic period. The municipality only started receiving MIG funding for the facility’s upgrading seven years ago to the value of R250 000, which is a share of a R1m allocated to the municipality’s four towns. To achieve better impact, the municipality is considering dedicating future allocations of the R1m in whole to each town on a rotational basis, as opposed splitting it in quadrants. A detailed written project report on the facility will be furnished to the Portfolio Committee.

Presentation by Kannaland Local Municipality

The Acting Municipal Manager (MM) provided an overview of the municipality in terms of councillor composition, the four towns that constitute it, the municipality’s executive mayoral political system and the municipality’s grading, which is classified as Grade 2. The political instability in the municipality, which has been a subject of much debate, was characterised as a product of the constant change in the governing coalition parties. Instability at the administrative level was attributed to vacant positions resulting in many officials being employed in acting capacity. As part of addressing this, the municipality is at an advanced stage of recruiting for the critical positions of MM and Chief Financial Officer (CFO). The municipality has just introduced changes in the composition of the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) including the appointment of a new chairperson.

An Audit Committee has been established but still needs to undergo training. The Section 139 intervention process in the municipality, its subsequent termination, and the development of a Financial Recovery Plan (FRP) were outlined. There has been no correlation between the municipality’s audit outcomes and the ruling municipal government of the day. As far as the municipality is concerned, none of the staff appointments it has made are unlawful. The municipality is willing and ready to deal with all instances of unlawful staff appointment should conclusive evidence be presented to it.

The Acting CFO, who at the time of the Portfolio Committee’s visit had been in the acting position for just ten days, confirmed that the municipality has been operating on unfunded budgets for many years. The Provincial Treasury is assisting the municipality with a plan to address this problem, but the plan has not been implemented satisfactorily. However, the Acting CFO is confident that the 2023/24 budget will be fully funded. The municipality’s revenue collection rate currently amounts to 80 percent, and the municipality is working towards improving this to 85 percent, which will be a great achievement should this be realised. This will involve improving the accuracy of the billing system. The municipality’s organisational structure, which is one of the largest contributors to the institution’s expenses, is being reviewed. This is expected to address the municipality’s unsustainable salary budget, which is currently above the Treasury norm. The municipality’s current financial system has several shortcomings, which have contributed to the disclaimed audit opinion obtained in 2021/22. This audit outcome is a disgrace and disappointing to the municipality.

In the next two financial years (which is a more realistic timeframe) the municipality will be doing its utmost to work itself out of the disclaimer and will implement long-lasting internal control systems. Underspending on conditional grants remains a serious challenge, which the municipality will address by holding the responsible officials accountable. Treasury withheld R6m of the municipality’s Equitable Share due to unspent conditional grants, which has affected municipal service delivery negatively. To fast-track conditional grant expenditure, the municipality will work more closely with its Project Management Unit. The municipality has not yet formalised a Local Economic Development and Youth Development Plan.

Each of the municipality’s four towns has its own water supply system. One of the major problems affecting these is aging infrastructure, including crumbling asbestos pipes, which contributes to high non-revenue water losses. The daily demand in the Ladismith and Zoar Water Treatment Works exceeds the plants’ design capacity. There is no additional raw water storage capacity, but funding has been received to address water storage capacity problems in Zoar. Similarly, in Van Wyksdorp, the storage capacity is limited. The Calitzdorp water supply system is also experiencing problems following the flooding experienced in December 2022. However, most of these problems have been resolved although there are intermittent water supply disruptions.

Similar problems also affect the municipality’s sanitation network, with aging infrastructure particularly problematic in Ladismith and Calitzdorp. The Wastewater Treatment Works in both towns, and in Zoar, have exceeded their design capacity. The load shedding crisis has exacerbated the problem as the municipality does not have sufficient back up power. Additional challenges facing the municipality relate to bulk infrastructure, eradication of the housing backlog and upgrading of gravel roads.

In response to inputs by committee members, the Mayor did not agree with the assessment that the current municipal council is dysfunctional. He agreed with the problems identified but these were attributed to seven years of Democratic Alliance (DA) and African National Congress (ANC) governance, and the illegal constitutional intervention terminated by a court order in October 2021. The current executive has been in power for only three months and needs to be given space to work. However, the municipality also wants to solve these problems.

One of the root causes of the municipality’s difficulties relates to the proliferation of acting positions, which the municipality is moving towards abolishing. The disclaimed audit opinion also came as a shock to the Mayor. The municipality’s Eskom debt needs to be reviewed, as the amounts allegedly owed are disputable. The municipality continues negotiating with Eskom as to reach a mutually satisfactory agreement. The Mayor is uncomfortable with the diagnostic reports compiled from outside the municipality, which the institution is then expected to implement despite having little understanding of the contents.

Inputs by structures responsible for supporting Kannaland

A few months prior to the oversight visit to the municipality, the Portfolio Committee received extensive briefings from the structures responsible for supporting the Kannaland local municipality in terms of Section 154 of the Constitution, including the Provincial Treasury, the Western Cape chapter of the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and the Provincial Department of Local Government. Having been again given opportunity to make additional comments, the institutional representatives summarised as follows:

Provincial Treasury. Numerous plans have been presented and the content of these is similar. The solutions are simple: revenue must be collected fully and management problems should be resolved. Kannaland has much potential to generate its own revenue to supplement the equitable share. The real question is the municipality’s willingness to implement these simple solutions.

Provincial SALGA. Multiple interventions have been instituted to assist Kannaland. These interventions however should go beyond the technocratic space and permeate the political space. SALGA is open and willing to assist the municipal political leadership in this regard.

Provincial Local Government Department. The Department clarified the legal process it had initiated in relation to the unlawful appointment of an Acting MM whose contract has since been terminated. The Department’s commitment to supporting the municipality was reaffirmed.

DAY 2: STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENTS

On the second day of the oversight visit the Portfolio Committee convened a meeting with the Kannaland Local Municipality stakeholders. Inputs were received from representatives of various local organisations as well as from non-affiliated community members. Below is a summary of these inputs:

Calitzdorp Business Chamber. The Chamber emphasized the importance of creating an enabling municipal environment for business to thrive, and how this is essential for job creation in Kannaland. The high crime rate, poor road conditions and increase in the number of street children are not conducive to business growth, especially tourism. The municipality has been allocating millions of rand to the construction of sports facilities but there is not much evidence on the ground to justify this expenditure.

Zoar Community Property Association. Speaking on the CPA Chairperson’s behalf, Ms Johnson’s input focused on the Amalienstein farm that is held in trust on the Zoar community’s behalf. The farm is currently managed by Casidra, a state owned entity, pending the finalisation of a suitable exit strategy for direct state involvement. The CPA’s main concern is that it is not afforded sufficient opportunity to make inputs on critical decisions regarding the farm. For example, the farm’s subdivision has been gazetted without any public participation. The Portfolio Committee was scheduled to visit the farm, but this could not be done due to time constraints.

Griqua Traditional Community. Chief Jantjies, the community’s representative, emphasized that theirs is an agricultural oriented community. He lamented the proliferation of crime, increasing school dropout rate, and water problems in Zoar. Children are not safe, and the small size of state housing is not only a problem in Zoar but the whole of Kannaland. The community is keen to work with the municipality to advance job creation. The full potential of the available tourism infrastructure has been underutilised.

Kannaland Business Chamber. Appreciating the time afforded to engage the municipality, the Chamber noted that approximately 2000 people have left Kannaland due to lack of the requisite infrastructure. The municipality must urgently look into this matter. The municipality should also do away with the practice of employing unsuitable people in critical positions. The Chamber has been enquiring about the municipal organogram for at least two years but has received no favourable response thus far. The problem that caused a three-day power outage in Calitzdorp, where business lost much money, had been known since 2019 but little was done to avert it. The sewerage problems in Van Wyksdorp, Calitzdorp and Ladismith were attributed to lack of qualified personnel in relation to the installation and maintenance of the electrical infrastructure. Reliable water supply in Ladismith is essential to preventing the three big factories from leaving the town, which is a real possibility that will have detrimental consequences as the current unemployment rate is already 53 percent.

Van Wyksdorp Rate Payers Association. Speaking on the Association’s behalf, Mr Strydom indicated that meetings of this nature have previously taken place but the municipality has been unresponsive. As far back as 2004, the municipality was presented with a report that had a set of recommendations, which the municipality has to date not implemented. There is an existing waste disposal site in Van Wyksdorp, which the municipality can refurbish and therefore relieve residents from having to travel 50 kilometres to Ladismith to dump waste. Similarly, there is no reason why the satellite police station in the town cannot be upgraded to a fully-fledged station so that it will not be necessary to travel all the way to Ladismith. The municipality has provided no feedback on these matters.

South African Police Service Neighbourhood Watch. Among the issues raised by the SAPS Colonel was the need for funding support to the Neighbourhood Watch and the need for fencing around sewerage works to prevent children from drowning. The municipality has virtually no traffic services resulting in the police having to do the work of traffic officers. Road signs are almost non-existent and potholes are a serious problem. There are no safe houses to accommodate victims of gender-based violence, and the social services department needs to be engaged to resolve this matter. The lack of recreation facilities has driven the youth to substance abuse and to having drug dealers as their role models. The Neighbourhood Watch is open to partnerships to address these challenges. Partnership with the municipality is particularly critical but the political instability and the resulting constant change in political leadership has not been conducive to building a good working relationship with the municipality.

Korana Royal House. From the House’ viewpoint, the basic maladies afflicting Kannaland are corruption and nepotism. The municipality has a high resources potential and had it managed this effectively, it is unlikely that the unemployment rate would reach 53 percent. The water challenges experienced in Kannaland are not new. They are an old problem which no one is bold enough to address. The discharging of raw sewerage into fresh water sources is a health risk and a ticking time bomb. The political leadership is failing Kannaland’s people.

Inputs from non-affiliated community members

First speaker. The most pressing priority in Zoar is water provision. Zoar councillors have a tendency to disappear after elections. They are mainly interested in themselves and their families. There is a case of a contractor whom the municipality has awarded a new contract despite having failed to complete previous projects and absconding with municipality’s advance payments. The speaker hoped that the new council will listen to the people’s concerns.

Second speaker. Hailing from Ladismith, the speaker informed the meeting that as residents they are subjected to both water shedding and load shedding. A question was raised around the municipality’s recruitment practices, particularly the status of Director: Community Services and Director: Technical Services. An update regarding the Acting MM’s implication in a R300m fraud court case was requested. The speaker alleged nepotism in the appointment of the Acting CFO as the latter was allegedly related to the Speaker of Council. Kannaland has a bank balance of only R852 000 due to imprudent financial practices such as the renting of a honey sucker from the Oudtshoorn municipality for the exorbitant amount of R400 000 and payment of salaries backdated to five months. The extent of fuel usage by the municipal vehicle fleet was also queried.

Third speaker. The speaker’s business in Calitzdorp employs more than 20 people. The water supply in the town is in crisis and the available water is not fit for human use. This affects the sustainability of business negatively. Calitzdorp often functions without power up to three hours after load shedding. No one wants to stop in Calitzdorp due to its bad road conditions. Kannaland is not business friendly and not much is being done to attract investors. The municipality needs to develop a plan to support business. The previous administrations have been engaged on this. Foreigners are trading illegally as 32 of their shops operate in areas that have not been zoned for commerce. The municipality is not engaging business adequately, and business cannot function without the municipality’s cooperation. No helping hand was extended to business during the December Calitzdorp flood crisis. With business, infrastructure and the social fabric collapsing, Kannaland is on its last breath. All must sit down together and devise a workable solution.

Fourth speaker. The speaker’s main concern was lack of access to land and water for agricultural purposes. Storage tanks are needed to collect water during high rainfall periods and more land needs to be availed for farming. Farming is the life blood of many of those born in the area.

Fifth speaker. Identifying himself as an ANC member, the speaker demanded a stop to the suspension of municipal officials, appointment of unqualified people, payment of salaries despite work not being done, and payment of excessive allowances.

Sixth speaker. Employed as a supervisor in the Community Work Programme (CWP), the speaker felt disturbed by the allegation that Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) workers are lazy and do not want to work. The speaker is happy to be a CWP worker, loves to work and wants to work with the municipality. The municipality’s housing policy is inconsistent because in Zoar those who cannot afford houses cannot erect shacks, while this is allowed in the other towns.

Seventh speaker. As part of the Griqua people, the speaker was concerned that the land question in the Little Karoo has never been settled. Furthermore, there are many dams and yet many people are experiencing water shortages because the dams are privately owned.

Eighth speaker. The speaker noted that the community is never given feedback after sessions like these. There are various community channels that can be used for this purpose including Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Agriculture was once again emphasized as a critical source of the community’s livelihood. While there are many programmes targeted at assisting small scale farmers, these do not often reach the intended beneficiaries. Commercial farmers sometimes receive funding meant for small scale farmers. The speaker would welcome feedback and the proposed way forward on the issues raised.

Ninth speaker. The municipal leadership cannot do its work, and this should be clear to the national and provincial governments. The leadership’s interest is not the community. The speaker appealed to the national Department of Cooperative Governance to dissolve the current leadership.

Tenth speaker. The speaker mainly lamented the fact that people have to come from outside to debate Zoar’s issues as opposed to allowing the locals to solve their own problems.

Municipality’s responses to stakeholders’ inputs

The Speaker protested that the stakeholders were not representative of the Kannaland community and appealed to the Portfolio Committee to look into this. The political instability in the municipality is a local problem that needs a local solution. External policies should give way to internal interventions.

The Mayor once again pleaded ignorance regarding the former Acting MM’s history of financial misconduct. On the allegation that that his girlfriend benefitted from a R150 000 pay out, the Mayor indicated that he had a wife and a marriage certificate and not a girlfriend certificate. The Mayor acknowledged that community members made good inputs and has listened to these. A number of issues have come to his attention. He has been in the mayoral seat numerous times but has never once finished a term except during the 2011-2016 local government term. The importance of a stable council was therefore stressed. The Mayor visits Calitzdorp every Wednesday to deal with the critical issues affecting the town. People from Ladismith and Zoar visit the Mayor’s office almost every day.

Though in government for only three months, the Mayor has made great strides in terms of finding common ground with the police and the Khoi-San community. Cultural factors need to be factored in decision making. He is also resolved to start personal interactions with the Business Chambers. The major problem he has identified in Zoar relates to water supply and he will be coming back to the community to deal with this matter. The Mayor will not retaliate against those who spoke against him but will go back to the drawing board. His motto has always been to stand, plan and work with and for the people. The Mayor expressed gratitude for the Portfolio Committee’s oversight visit and affirmed their determination to have a stable government for the full term. The Mayor also thanked the community stakeholders for their participation in the meeting and acknowledging their critical importance in resolving Kannaland’s problems.

DAY 3: SITE VISITS

The Portfolio Committee concluded its oversight programme by visiting the following additional sites:

Upgrading and refurbishment of Van Wyksdorp Waste Water Treatment Works. This project is aimed at enabling the municipality to comply with the Green Drop requirements for the Wastewater Treatment Works by bringing the works to a fully functional state. In this state, the works will be able to accommodate the current and future predicted flows to relieve the bottlenecks in the plant system, which prevent the discharge of good quality effluent.

The project scope includes installation of new flow meters at the works’ inlet and outlet; construction of an adequately sized and designed overflow system; construction of a bypass weir next to the inlet channel to divert flows exceeding a particular limit to the overflow system to avoid overtopping of the inlet channel; installation of an additional train/module, inclusive of septic tank, bio-reactor, clarifier/humus tanks and disinfection tanks to accommodate projected flows; inspection and replacement of missing fittings for all tanks; installation of pipes for emptying the bio-reactor to prevent bulging; installation of two new pumps to pump wastewater from the septic tanks to the bio-reactor tanks; replacement of the faulty generator at the plant; installation of roofs above the tanks to protect them from sunlight; installation of lights around the site and the building of office and storeroom facilities.

MIG contribution to the first phase of the project, which is due for completion by 30 June 2023, amounts to R1 033 087.00. This phase is expected to have commenced by 01 March 2023. No expenditure had yet been incurred at the time of the oversight visit. On the other side of the works, the Portfolio Committee observed a food garden project run by a private non-profit organisation (NPO) known as the Van Wyksdorp Development Institute. The Committee was concerned by the indication that the municipality is not involved in this project, and encouraged the Mayor to follow up on this matter.

Informal settlement in Van Wyksdorp. Seven years ago, the Mayor had acceded to the use of the land for informal settlement. To the Mayor’s surprise, some residents are now keeping large pigsties right next to the informal houses. This was deemed unacceptable and a disgrace to the Mayor and the municipality. People must as soon as possible decide who, between them and the pigs, should move. None of the houses in the settlement have access to any sanitation and ablution facilities. The municipality is not coming forth with funding to address the matter. The fact that the area has not been formally proclaimed as a township presents serious constraints in terms of attracting government funding. The municipality’s Spatial Development Framework (SDF) has not been updated since 2011 due to lack of expertise. This is due to the fact that the municipality has no town planner.

Ladismith Wastewater Treatment Works. The Business Plan for the works’ upgrading was approved in 2016. The upgrading is needed because the works’ current load exceeds its design capacity. Funding to the amount of R15m from the Division of Revenue Act (DORA) has been promised, but this has not yet materialised. The municipality has a balance of only R400 000 earmarked for the project and has so far sent out requests for quotations (RFQs). The network around the works also needs upgrading, but only the main plant has been approved.

Zoar Wastewater Treatment Works. The works is currently discharging into the river and is up for upgrade to the value of R12m. The funding source is the MIG and the money will be disbursed in two tranches of R6m in 2022/23 and in 2023/24. Project implementation for the 2022/23 financial year is set to commence on 01 March 2023 and the first tranche will be spent by 30 June 2023. The Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (MISA) is assisting the municipality with the project’s technical specifications. Nineteen temporary employment opportunities are envisaged. The municipality has applied deviation in terms of its Supply Chain Management Policy as to fast-track project processes.

Calitzdorp Water Treatment Works. This was the last project visited by the Portfolio Committee. Calitzdorp had experienced water supply problems in December 2022 due to flooding. The works, which is the second biggest after the Ladismith Water Treatment Works, experienced line blockages and was not equipped to handle the overflow. Most of the problems have since been resolved, but load shedding presents a serious challenge as it has increased the costs of back-up power.

COMMITTEE OBSERVATIONS

Having listened to inputs by Kannaland’s political and administrative leadership and the municipal stakeholders, and having undertaken site visits to critical infrastructure projects around the municipality, the Portfolio Committee noted the following:

The lack of female representation in the political executive, and to some extent the administrative leadership, of Kannaland is a cause for concern, as both structures are entirely male-dominated.

The appointment of an Acting Municipal Manager without due regard to his implication in serious fraudulent conduct raises doubt as to the municipality’s genuine commitment to fight malfeasance. Had there been ethical leadership, the Acting MM would have stepped aside until his name was cleared.

The municipality is financially constrained, as evident in the adoption of unfunded budgets and the disclaimed audit opinion, and yet it persists with the employment of excess staff in the political offices.

The absence of Local Economic Development and Youth Development policies and plans in the municipality is unacceptable as these are critical pillars to the economic and social development of Kannaland.

The municipality is at risk of going back to constitutional intervention if nothing is urgently done to reverse the current downward trajectory.

The municipality’s organogram has been under review for the past three years with no definite indication as to when this process will be finalised.

The municipality’s repayment plan for Eskom debt has had no effect as the amounts owed to the entity have kept increasing.

Up to a year ago, the Ladismith landfill site was not compliant with environmental regulations and it is surprising that the site has now suddenly become compliant.

There is a communication gap between the municipality and the community. The Speaker is by law expected to ensure full community participation in the municipality’s day-to-day affairs. It was therefore ill-advised of him to question the community stakeholders’ representativeness.

The Speaker and the Mayor did not respond adequately to the issues raised by the community stakeholders. They allowed a junior municipal employee to engage in politicking. The responsible Director also did nothing to stop him.

COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS

Within fourteen days of the adoption of this report, the Kannaland Local Municipality should furnish the Portfolio Committee with:

A report on the qualifications, and the corresponding salary scale, of each municipal staff member;
A detailed project report relating to the Ladismith Sports facility, including project scope, funding and project timeframes;
Proof that the Ladismith waste disposal site is a licensed facility;
The quantum of the litigation costs incurred due to political infighting among councillors;
Outcome of the promised investigation into alleged irregular payment of bonuses in November 2022;
A clear plan of what the municipality will do to address the situation in the Van Wyksdorp informal settlement;
A copy of the Master/Business Plan for the upgrading of the Ladismith Wastewater Treatment Works

The Portfolio Committee should follow up with the Portfolio Committee on Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development regarding Casidra’s apparent failure to involve the Zoar Community Property Association on critical decisions relating to the Amalienstein farm.

The municipality must attend to the traffic law enforcement issue as raised by the representative from the South African Police Service.

The Portfolio Committee and the Department of Cooperative Governance should follow-up on all the commitments made by the Kannaland Mayor, as well as investigate the allegations levelled against him.

The MEC for Local Government in the Western Cape should consider instituting an investigation into the Kannaland local municipality in terms of Section 106 of the Municipal Systems Act (2002).

The municipality should prioritise the official proclamation of the Van Wyksdorp informal settlement area as a township.

Report to be considered

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