Opposition parties and the media often portray municipal managers as a bunch of inefficient, incompetent and useless idiots who have no interests in the communities they serve. Your article (”Fat cats take the cream”, October 7) is no exception and I object strongly.
The Ugu district municipality, which I manage, is a well-oiled machine of service delivery and development facilitation.
The municipality’s strategy (the Integrated Development Plan) was prepared in-house and was showcased at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 as a best-practice model.
A good strategy without good implementation is worthless and it is heartening to note that Ugu district municipality on the South Coast was awarded the Vuna Award for 2004 as the best-run district municipality (out of 10) in KwaZulu-Natal.
It is incorrect to claim that the capital budget is the only aspect of the budget that contributes towards service delivery. In terms of the Municipal Finance Management Act, municipalities prepare and adopt service delivery and budget implementation plans, which include both the capital and the operating budget.
We have plans for water and electricity provision, which will become operational over the next three years.
Isolating the capital budget from the operating budget is a jaundiced view whose net effect distorts the picture by creating a baseless impression that all local government practitioners are loafers.
Your article claims that ”29% of the budget of Ugu district municipality was allocated to salaries and 9% to delivery”, which is incorrect.
Here is the true picture:
- Total budget: R446,8-million
- Operating budget: R274,2-million
- Capital budget (including municipal infrastructure grant and capital charges): R172,7-million
- Percentage of salaries budget from total budget: 21,13%
- Percentage of budget towards municipal manager’s remuneration: 0,19%
There are many local government practitioners who deserve their salaries, given their hard work, innovation and passion for their communities. I am humbled to be one.
I long for the day when local government will be part of the public service as many cynics will no longer be able to single out municipal managers as though they were lazy and incompetent ”fat cats”. We can and do hold our own with provincial heads of department and national directors general.
Khayo E Mpungose is the municipal manager of the Ugu District municipality
The ‘Mail & Gardens’ can’t count
The following was sent to the newspaper by the office of Gabriel Ndabandaba, who is the provincial minister of agriculture and environmental affairs in KwaZulu-Natal. It was written by his spokes-person, Vusi Zuma, and we run it verbatim
”The Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs, KwaZulu-Natal, was very shocked about the article published on the Mail & Gardens of 30 September 2005. The Mail & Gardens reported that the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs spent R30-Million during 2004/05 financial year.
The journalist could not research the story. The article misled people of South Africa because it entails false information. I assume that a journalist failed to interpret the budget statement correctly.
The budget for the office of the MEC included the budget of the Head of Department also had a number of directorates reporting directly to him and their budget was therefore also included in the classification of ”Office if the MEC”.
The budget against the sub-programme ”Office of the MEC” as it appears in the budget statements was therefore constituted as follows: Ministry — R5-million, Head of Department — R4-million, Youth Development — R1-million, Internal Control and Risk Management — R6 million and the biggest portion was allocated to IT and Communication which is R12-million. This R30-million is made of those amounts alluded above.”