Elias Motsoaledi residents question alleged costly conference venue
GROBLERSDAL
Residents within Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality (EMLM), say they are worried about alleged exacerbating costs incurred by the local municipality after moving the Ward Committees Conference to Forever Resort in Bela Bela, Waterberg District Municipality.
The three-day conference commenced on Tuesday 29 October 2024, aiming to discuss and address local government issues and provide a vital link between ward councillors, the community and the municipality.
According to residents, a closed venue should have been booked for the conference to save costs that would later be used in the improvement of service delivery in the villages.
Simon Makua, EMLM, told the publication that the municipal has approximately 390 participants attending the conference, which is the key reason for hosting the conference at Bela Bela.
“The ward committee conference in question is hosting 390 delegates over three days and there is no facility within Sekhukhune that has a capacity to host such a delegation. The insinuation that cost of hosting the conference would have been less had we chosen to host it at Groblersdal does not hold water. For the record, the municipality takes pride in the empowerment of local SMMEs, however one needs to comply with the bidding process and getting value for money from the service,” clarified Makua.
He indicated that holding the conference is important because it also forms part of capacity building for ward committee members to know what is expected from them in assisting communities within the wards.
Makua stated that Ward Committee Conference is a significant event in local governance, as it brings together representatives from various communities to discuss and address local issues and provide a vital link between ward councillors, the community and the municipality.
“The conference plays a vital role by allowing members of the communities to influence municipal planning in a manner which best addresses their needs,” he said.
Officially opening the conference, EMLM Mayor, Cllr David Tladi, stated that ward committees were established to strengthen the concept of an inclusive system of governance and to deepen democracy through public participation processes.
“They are also part of the fundamental values and principles of public engagement across all levels of government,” he said.
Tladi went on to say that ward committee members and councillors must be creative in addressing service delivery difficulties in the municipality.
“As councillors, we must be exceptionally inventive in addressing service delivery concerns. People have high expectations of councillors, we must be able to deliver visible solutions to community concerns by calling monthly meetings at our representative wards,” said Tladi.
He said the key objectives of these ward committee conferences are to strengthen ward committees for effective service delivery, promote public engagement, ward governance, and improve stakeholder collaboration.
