Administrators comment: changes to the intervention arrangements. Today the Mpumalanga Premier visited the municipality and discussed a number of issues in respect of the intervention with the council. It remains a provincial priority that the municipality should move out of the 139 intervention as soon as possible and he urged all parties to work together to achieve a sustainable municipality with full service delivery to all. To ensure that the gains made the past 18 months are retained and further improvements are made, especially in respect of acceleration of service delivery and to move towards a clean audit, the strengthening of the intervention team by COGTA was also approved and has become effective immediately. This adds to important changes being introduced and actions approved by the Administrator over the past month. These include: 1. The appointment of Mr Eric Ngomane as Deputy Administrator responsible for especially water and sanitation programmes. Eric was the Administrator at Bushbuck Ridge for the past 20 months and as engineer he will bring vast experience to the municipality. The Technical Directorate will specifically be guided by him. 2. The appointment of Mrs Nora Mthembu as Acting CFO and responsible for audit and financial matters. She also is a highly experienced professional and was amongst others a CFO of Nelspruit. She was part of the intervention team in a different capacity previously. 3. Retaining of Mr Ben Botes as engineer and acting HOD for Water. The management of the Witbank Dam and provision of mentorship and advisory and technical services to the Directorate. 4. The Appointment of Mrs Nomkita Fani as new Executive Director Development Planning. She is specifically tasked to stream line the land use approval processes and to address the planning and land use needs of the vast informal settlements. 5. The appointment of Mr Elija Shongwe as acting Executive Director Waste and Environmental Management. Mr Shongwe is tasked to establish and operationalize this new directorate and especially to introduce clean city programmes and alternative waste management. 6. The appointment of Mr Kobus Tenner on a contract basis with the exclusive focus on establishment of a system and data base on land uses and steering the clean up programme on illegal land uses. 7. The redeployment and reorganisation within the Finance Directorate with a specific focus on supply chain management, debtors and creditors. 8. Decisive disciplinary actions against staff in various directorates for various issues relating to the audit outcome as well as fraud and corruption. 9. The advertisement of the position of Chief Internal Auditor to strengthen the audit process and to promote internal controls and efficiencies. 10. The finalisation of the placement of staff in the approved organogram which strengthen especially revenue enhancement, technical services and asset management. 11. The review of both security contracts and the termination of the general security contract and review of the specialised security services. 12. The transfer of all water and sanitation capital projects to Rand Water for execution to improve efficiencies. 13. The re launching of the voluntary advisory platform and working teams where community members can engage with officials on solutions for service delivery issues. 14. The finalisation of tenders to increase municipal water supply efficiency with 20% which will resolve capacity problems affecting Tasbet Park extensions and KwaGuqa and Empumulweni as well as a pothole repair programme for a further 20 000 sq meters. 15. Launching of two further ward based clean up and rehabilitation programmes. 16. Saying farewell to the CFO Ben Dorfling. Photos: Saying goodbye to Oom Ben Dorfling, as I will remember him with his smile, Kobus Tenner, Ben Botes, Nora Mthembu, Eric Ngomane. Photo of Mrs Fani will follow.
Posted on: Thu, 15 Jan 2015 18:30:22 +0000