Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa has called for the integration of the task teams working to fix eThekwini Municipality.
This follows a “directive“ from the National Treasury for one of the teams to be “disbanded“ fearing a duplication of work.
Hlabisa, together with KZN-MEC for Cogta Thulasizwe Buthelezi, was briefed on Tuesday by the teams about the work that had been done so far.
The teams, the Presidential Working Group, led by ANC heavyweight Mike Mabuyakhulu, and eThekwini Strategic Support Team (section 154) have been deployed to the municipality to address critical failures that have brought the City to the brink of collapse, triggering widespread dissatisfaction among residents.
But the section 154 intervention led by Mike Sutcliffe and Dr Cassius Lubisi has been called into question by the national Treasury.
‘’The Mercury’’ reported on Tuesday that the Treasury had written to the provincial Cogta, warning that section 154 was a duplication of work that was already being done by a Presidential Working Group.
The provincial Cogta, which has the power to implement section 154 intervention, rejected Treasury’s suggestion, saying it was consulting its lawyers for legal advice on the way forward.
Section 154 was controversial from the outset. The intervention was introduced last year by then-MEC for Cogta Bongi Sithole-Moloi but was blocked by the ANC, which argued that proper processes had not been followed.
The matter was allowed to lie dormant until after the May 29 general elections.
Following the takeover of the Cogta department by the IFP, Buthelezi pushed through the intervention, arguing that the provincial cabinet had made the decision. Hlabisa supported the provincial Cogta’s view that section 154 experts must continue with their work.
“These are two interventions, section 154 was decided by the 6th administration (previous administration) and it is within the prescripts of the law and, on the other hand, the presidential group is an initiative by President Cyril Ramaphosa responding to concerns by the public.
“Both teams presented. One thing that emerged is that there must be integration between the two teams because both teams want to turn things around in eThekwini,” said Hlabisa.
Asked when the ratepayers could expect to see meaningful changes in terms of the stabilisation of water, electricity and refuse collection services, Hlabisa said he wanted noticeable change in less than a year.
“We did not get here (the poor state of eThekwini) overnight; it will take time to get out of this situation but it should not take a year,” he said.
He added that the Presidential Working Group had a maximum of two years to turn things around, adding that it had outlined the short-term goals that would be accomplished over three months, mid-term goals over six months and long-term objectives over a year.
Based on the presentation, Hlabisa added, there was light at the end of the tunnel and even the business community was optimistic.
IFP councillor Mdu Nkosi said: “The presentations made it clear that we need to address basic services to restore confidence in ratepayers and attract investors.
“We must deal with things like potholes and water supply because if people believe they are getting those services, they will pay for them,” he said.
DA councillor Andre Beetge said if the two task teams worked together “we would probably find results quicker. It’s quite clear that section 154 has been engaging with the public and getting their views from the public.”
The Mercury