Msibi outlines plans for 2022/23

By Libuseng Nyaka

QWAQWA – The executive mayor of Thabo Mofutsanyana district municipality Conny Msibi has described attainment of a clean audit as a priority of the municipality’s 10-point plan.

Msibi said this when tabling the municipality’s budget of R174,494,245 for financial year 2022/23.

“Among others we also have the following: development of district wide website as well as the hosting of the annual district tourism festival; reclaiming of district municipality powers and functions including development of master plans for fire services, agriculture, renewable energy and bulk infrastructure.”

She said the implementation of this plan and other resolutions of the strategic planning session will be regularly monitored and they will serve as a standing item in the ordinary mayoral committee meeting.

Msibi also touched on the development made since the establishment of District Development Model.

“In recent months we have embarked on an intensive process of developing a district One Plan which will bring to life the noble intentions of the district development model. This Presidential project places on our shoulders a responsibility to improve our IGR functions and initiatives. We must intensify the functionality of our IGR structures to improve coordination and facilitate integrated planning and budgeting processes.

“In next months, we will be finalising the establishment of district hubs to work on the projects listed in the One Plan. These projects must be linked to finding opportunities and we must boldly resolve to invite the private sector to participate in the development programme of the district.”

She further stated that more partnerships with national and provincial governments will be forged in a bid to unlock the economy and mitigate challenges facing the district.

“We have set for ourselves a target to at least engage the following departments, SOE’s and partners by December of this year, with an idea of forming beneficial partnerships to speed service delivery in the district: Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional  Affairs; Destea; Department of Tourism, Department of Transport; Department of Agriculture, Rural Development and Land Reform; Department of Small Business Development; Department of Communications and Digital Technologies; Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation; MAPSEZ; SANRAL and RTMC; TRANSNET; Infrastructure SA (ISA); DBSA; IDC; Afripalm Resources (Mr Polelo Lazarus Zim); Motsepe Foundation and Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation; UFS and FS-CUT.”

Highlighting the municipality’s achievements, Msibi said in the context of a declining economy, COVID-19 pandemic, and other human factors, the Expanded Public Works Programme in Thabo Mofutsanyana district contributed in alleviating families from poverty and created a total of 752 jobs.

“Thabo Mofutsanyana District received an EPWP incentive grant of five and half million rands from the national department of Public Works, for job creation and skills development, which was used to empower communities through employment opportunities and poverty alleviation. The programme was implemented within the two EPWP clusters, mainly infrastructure and environment and rolled out in all six local municipalities of the district.

“A total number of 752 people were employed in this programme, with the demographics as follows: adult men: 139; young men: 139; adult women: 140; young women: 329,” Msibi outlined.

Outlining how the new budget will be spent, Msibi said EPWP will receive R5.5 million which will be spent to continue the programme.

“The rural roads asset management systems programme is ongoing in our district, through which we are developing a common framework for the roads assets management in the district with the intention to deliver better road network by ensuring that available financial resource and providing a single assets management protocol/framework for all roads. I am glad to inform that through this programme our municipality recruited Civil Engineering graduates in this financial year.

“The allocation for this programme for the financial year (2022/23) is R 2.4 million and is set to increase to R2.5 million in the coming year. Our municipality received a grant funding of R 4 million to implement Energy Efficiency Demand Side Management Programme which is meant to assist the local municipalities with energy reduction consumption in the municipal infrastructure buildings and reduce carbon emissions.

“A total of 91 units were retrofitted at a total cost of R 4 000 000, leading to a saving of 466 470 kilowatts per hour in the following municipalities: Phumelela (24); Dihlabeng (30); Nketoana (37). Additional funding of R 6 million was received and the efficiency efficient project was implemented in Setsoto with 136 units completed while in Maluti a Phofung it is still in progress, where we are looking at retrofitting 308 units.”