Local municipalities and SDM honoured during SALGA awards
SEKHUKHUNE
The four local municipalities in Sekhukhune as well as the Sekhukhune District Municipality were all honoured and bestowed with awards during the SALGA Municipal Awards Ceremony.
Renamed after the late Mayor of Colins Chabane Municipality Moses, “Big Moss” Maluleke, the Municipal Awards recognised and celebrated excellence, innovation and service delivery in local governance. The awards were held at Sasavona Game Lodge in Bela Bela on March 13.
The SDM received an award for achieving 100% expenditure on the Bulk Water Infrastructure Grant — a grant that acknowledges municipalities demonstrating exceptional commitment to infrastructure development and service delivery.
The SDM’s agency, Sekhukhune Development Agency (SDA), an entity dedicated to promoting local economic development in the district, received an award for achieving its first Unqualified Audit Opinion.
The executive mayor of SDM, Minah Bahula said these awards reflects Sekhukhune’s unwavering dedication to improving access to clean water, enhancing the lives of communities, and fulfilling the developmental mandate.
In Tubatse, the Fetakgomo Tubatse Local Municipality (FTLM) received two awards from SALGA. The FTLM was conferred with awards for sustaining unqualified audit opinion 2023/24, and also an award in appreciation for not incurring fruitless and wasteful expenditure during the 2023/24 audit cycle.
When receiving the awards, the mayor of FTLM, Cllr Eddie Maila, expressed his gratitude to the councillors, administration and stakeholders for working together to ensure that the municipality is delivering services to the communities in an efficient way.
“The municipality has made a commitment to the communities that no money will be returned to the Department of Treasury due to non-spending and the awards bear testimony to that.”
Maila has also praised the councillors for playing their oversight role over the administration and that has resulted in the municipality not incurring fruitless
and wasteful expenditure under the period review.
Meanwhile, Makhuduthamaga Local Municipality received seven awards during the ceremony, they are the top performing local municipality in Sekhukhune.
Achieving these prestigious awards reaffirms Makhuduthamaga’s status as the best-practice municipality and a local government institution capable of carrying out its essential mandates.
Makhuduthamaga were awarded these awards: Sustaining unqualified audit opinion 2023/2024, receiving additional MIG after 100% spending of initial allocation in 2023/2024, over 95% spending of the additional MIG allocation in 2023/2024, appreciation for not incurring fruitless and wasteful expenditure during 2023/2024 audit cycle, appreciation for in-house preparation of Annual Financial Statements (AFS), appreciation of in-house preparation of asset register and appreciation for internal compilation of fixed assets register during 2023/2024.
Mayor Merah Mahlase describes this milestone as a collective effort driven by the municipal council, PMT, Executive Committee, and all councillors; municipal employees headed by the Municipal Manager; the audit committee; esteemed traditional leaders; and all municipal stakeholders.
Mahlase stresses that the municipality will continue to drive development to the people: “Our collective efforts will once again be channeled to providing leadership in the provision of basic services aligned with the municipality’s strategic objectives on road construction, electrification, and waste management, among others. We will continue to provide our communities with solutions founded on good governance principles. All necessary corrective actions will also put in place to finally transition from an unqualified audit to a clean audit outcome with visible service delivery impact.”
In Marble Hall, the Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality also achieved wonders. Under the tutelage of mayor Given Moimana, this municipality went home with three awards in recognition for: sustaining an unqualified audit opinion in the 2023/2024, appreciation for not incurring unauthorized expenditure during 2023/2024 audit cycle and appreciation for internal compilation of fixed assets register 2023/2024.
“Being recipients of such awards is proud moment in recognition of the hard work we are always engaged in an effort to build an efficient institution that will translate in to the utmost best service delivery to the public of Ephraim Mogale. I congratulate my colleagues in council and also the administration combined for always making sure they run a tight ship and this is all in an effort to our target of obtaining a clean audit” said Moimane.
The last Sekhukhune local municipality acknowledged was the Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality in Groblersdal, they were awarded two awards. This municipality received awards in the following categories: award in appreciation for not incurring unauthorised expenditure during 2023/24 audit cycle and certificate in appreciation for not incurring unauthorised expenditure during 2023/24 audit cycle.
Accepting the awards, mayor of Elias Motsoaledi, Cllr David Tladi, said this achievement exemplifies the municipality’s commitment to responsible financial management and accountability.
“Receiving such an honour acknowledges the municipality’s efforts to maintain high levels of financial management, transparency, and discipline.
“These awards serve as a testament to our commitment to being a well-governed, effectively managed, financially viable, and sustainable institution.”
The SDM’s executive mayor of Sekhukhune, Bahula, congratulated all local municipalities in the district for receiving the awards.
“Indeed, this recognition reflects the hard work and dedication towards improving service delivery and governance in our communities.”
