Cosatu Mumalanga press statement 23-01-08 |
NOT AT THE EXPENSE OF THE WORKERS AND THE POOR
23 January 2008
COSATU Mpumalanga has been following events at Mbombela municipality with keen interest.
Despite the strategic location of the Mbombela Municipality, located in the political and administrative capital of Mpumalanga , Nelspruit , the communities residing in this local municipality and the entire province have been at the receiving end in the wrangle between the leadership of the local municipality.
Gauging by the developments around Nelspruit and White river, you cannot missed out the fact that the local economy of this municipality is fast outpacing the other key centres/municipalities in the province. Like any other municipality in the country, the Mbombela municipality is expected to direct local economic development, to be efficient in its affairs, equitable in the distribution of its budget, and accountable to the electorate and be able to provide a better quality of service.
For more than a year today, the reports of poor service delivery by the municipality, allegations of mismanagement and corruption within the municipality, infighting between the mayor and the speaker , the controversy surrounding the 2010 coordinator, suspension of the Municipal Manager has been dominating the front pages of most local and national newspapers.
We are certain that all of these happens at the expense of service delivery to the poor communities of greater Mbombela. The councillors, as opposed to focusing their attention and energy on ensuring that they address backlogs of service delivery, lead LED and IDP’s, these public representatives have spent an inordinate amount of time, resources, energy focusing on injuring one another politically and outmaneuvering each other. Despite the resources at their disposal, the municipality was run less than optimally.
COSATU therefore welcomes the decision by the Provincial Department of Local Government and Housing to place the municipality under “curatorship” as it will unlock the chains that stifled and suffocated service delivery in the municipality.
We however would not downplay the possibility of this squabbles and infighting being informed by the greed and desire to control the municipal resources in general, 2010 resources in particular and issuing of tenders as the Mbombela municipality is one of the 2010 host cities.
It will therefore be another sad day in the history of Mpumalanga Province if all these rampant and selfish quest for personal wealth are allowed to happen at the expense of the workers and the poor.
The City Press of Sunday, 20th January 2007 carried a rather damning articles about how the 2010 tender was issued. If this is true, we are calling for a full investigation on this matter.
For more information please contact Norman Mokoena at 0828036712