EMLM Mayor promises improved quality services

Moganyaka

The Mayor of Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality (EMLM), Cllr Given Moimana, said the municipality is working honestly, openly, in a more innovative and courageous way, along with communities, as they seek to improve the quality of services provided to the people.

Moimana said during his State of the Municipal Address (SOMA) and 2022/2023 Financial Year Budget Speech, held at Moganyaka Sports Ground outside Marble Hall last week Friday.

He said this entails going back to the basics and repositioning the local municipality to serve its communities in an improved manner.

“I want to be very clear on this one, we will not tolerate corruption, fraud and maladministration. These criminalities are the biggest enemies of our people, it is stealing from the poor. Corruption and fraud denies our people services which the democratic government seeks to provide them with,” he said.

Moimana said the responsibility of the fifth council, is to provide quality services to the community of Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality.

“It is now over six months since the 5th Council was elected into office and just over 100 days since our election into the new positions. Our people are hungry for proper service delivery,” he said.

Moimana explained that the key priorities of the municipality include spatial rationale, basic service delivery and infrastructure, local economic development, financial viability, good governance and public participation, municipal transformation and organizational development.

“To deliver on these priorities, it means that we must consider moving with the times and full potential and opportunities provided by new technologies and automation. Our workforce should be combat ready to adapt to the new style of working and be compatible to move with speed on new technological developments as Covid-19 has frog-jumped us into the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR),” emphasized Moimana.

He stated that they are happy about the 2020/2021 auditor general outcomes, rating the municipality among the best in the country for obtaining unqualified audit opinion after spending 100 percent of their Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) budget.

“This is a commendable job and our staff deserves a pad on their shoulders to encourage them not to drop the ball this financial year. We further applaud the good foundation left by those who served before us,” he said.

Furthermore, Moimana said the municipality has a budget of R376 million for the 2022/2023 financial year, which is an average increase of 7% from the 2021/2022, with capital budget amounting to R70 million, of which R36 million is from the MIG and R34 million from the own or internal sources.

“Because of its largely rural nature, our municipality’s revenue base is quite small. This makes us to be mainly grant dependent,” he said.

“As of end of April, we had managed 66 percent of the MIG, for the financial year that is ending next month. As Mayor, together with the Executive Committee, we have made it clear to the municipal manager and her team, that we don’t want excuses when it comes to capital grants expenditure,” he said.

Moimana said they are going to ensure that they prioritize forward planning, for a proper budgeting and implementation of projects to avoid even a slightest under-spending.