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Committee puts Vass on the spot

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The Cogta portfolio committee received an update not only on the Phokwane Municipality but also all the section 139 municipalities in the Province.

MEC for Coghsta, Bentley Vass.

The Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs received a briefing on Thursday from the Administrator of Phokwane Local Municipality, Bamba Ndwande, and the Northern Cape Provincial Government’s MEC for Cooperative Governance, Bentley Vass, on the status of all municipalities under section 139 in the Northern Cape.

The Chairperson of the committee, Faith Muthambi, commended the step she described as bold that the Province took to dissolve the council in May. The committee heard that the council had two mayors and two speakers, something which has far-reaching financial and administrative implications, among other things.

The committee heard that since April 2018, the council failed to support the administrative arm of the municipality and the municipality didn’t comply with financial management as stipulated by the law. The committee heard that the 2018/19 financial statements were submitted in March and the 2019/20 financial statements were submitted in June this year.

The positions of the Municipal Manager, Chief Financial Officer and Technical Services, Development and Planning Manager are vacant and such vacancies cause instability in the administration of the municipality.

Responding to the questions, Vass said there had been some progress to date with the intervention of the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent official who has been placed in the municipality.

The committee also wanted to know about the educational qualifications of the administrator and has requested for the information to be made available to the committee, together with written responses to the questions it posed by next week.

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