Bahula outlines municipality plans for the new financial year

JANE FURSE

Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality (MLM)’s mayor, Cllr Minah Bahula is optimistic her municipality will continue to do its best in the acceleration of services. Bahula delivered her State of the Municipal Address (SOMA) at Peter Nchabeleng sports grounds on Tuesday May 31. She thanked the local youth and reiterated that the MLM will do everything in their powers to develop them with skills.

“We take this opportune moment to celebrate the youth of Makhuduthamaga who continue to be conscious on matters of their own development and economic emancipation. In the spirit of the youth of 1976, we also honour those who have made tremendous strides in the area of education.

She added, “We salute those who have taken and optimized the bursary scheme that we offer as the Municipality since the year 2000. Over 200 students have benefitted and graduated in record time in different universities.”

She admitted that they were faced with challenges of unemployment, poverty and many difficulties that were presented by Covid-19.

“Since our inception as the municipality, we have moved from zero service delivery to a commendable and visual developmental footprint where we boost about having built infrastructure catalyst projects such as: roads and bridges, electricity through Eskom and our own funding, storm water drainage, facilitated the building of housing projects, fencing of cemeteries for our departed and giving dignity to our loved ones.”

 

She said one of the measures that indicate the MLM’s seriousness about improving the lives of the people is the ability to demonstrate and pursue a sound, efficient, effective, transparent, and accountable administration.

“The Auditor-general’s report affirmed this as we announce an unqualified audit opinion for 2020 and 2021 financial year which has been a sequel of previous similar financial management results.

“We attained an unqualified audit opinion in the 2016/2017, whilst in the 2017/2018 financial year it was a qualified outcome. The 2018/2019 unqualified, 2019/2020 unqualified, 20/21 unqualified and now we are cruising nicely to Clean Audit.

“We know too well that for us to meet the needs of our people we must have put our house in order. We appreciate the hard work that went into this audit outcome and we will not rest but maintain the highest standard of service to our communities.”

She said the MLM pride itself as they are counted amongst few Municipalities in the country that are using in – house preparations of Annual Financial Statements (AFS).

 

Bahula indicated that MLM has already developed strategies to address areas of focus as raised in its previous audit outcomes.

“We stand a good chance of attaining a clean audit as we have managed to align our operational standards with the auditor general’s expectations to a larger extend.”

The mayor said infrastructural development makes a huge economic impact in the lives of locals.

“We are witnessing a massive road infrastructure improvement on the R579 due to exponential increase of traffic to various destinations also resulting in good economic spinoffs for our people.

“This follows SANRAL’s consultative roadshow with stakeholder engagements. It was to brief our SMMEs in the construction industry and local communities on the development, upgrade and resurfacing of Road R579.”

She said the MLM has almost reached the end point of tarred roads to tribal offices, with only a single road remaining. That is the road to Kgoshi Magolego of setshaba sa Magolego at ward 15.

Amongst some of the completed projects by the MLM are access bridges, access roads, internal streets, upgrading of sport facilities and more.

“During our IDP outreach, many communities raised issues of improvement of road infrastructure to cemeteries which the municipality will begin to look into as its finances improve.”

On tourism and local development, she said the MLM has completed tourism marketing initiatives to attract visitors to local accommodation facilities such as Boiketlong Lodge, Lapa Lodge, OAT Laduma Hotel, Naledi Lodge, Gravel Lodge and many others.

“Our relationship with these facilities remains solid and cordial. We continue to engage the National Department of Tourism to revive the Tisane Community Tourism Project. This is a project which will provide accommodation, conferencing meetings and entertainment amongst other services, which will culminate in job creation and improvement of the lives of our people.”