Issues affecting the suitability of municipalities and their capacity to deliver services and generate revenue are amongst some of the key challenges expected to be discussed. The meeting comes amidst a national outcry on the state of municipalities and their growing debts. The leader of the DA, Mmusi Maimane, yesterday lambasted the government for deteriorating state of municipalities and said Eskom is in R419 billion debt, which is in a large part due to municipalities defaulting on their payments. He led a picket to the Free State Premier’s Office to hand over a memorandum demanding the provincial government to take action against municipalities that fail to pay Eskom. Municipalities in the Free State collectively owe the power utility over R7.8 million, making it the province with the highest Eskom debt.

The meeting between Mkhize, Salga, the Municipal Demarcation Board, and MECs also comes just a day after the state of municipalities in the Northern Cape came under the spotlight when Premier Sylvia Lucas delivered the State of the Province Address.

During the address delivered in Kimberley, Lucas acknowledged that there have been minimal improvements in the state of 31 municipalities in the province over the past five years. She said roughly 60% of the municipalities have in the past years received disclaimers and needed interventions.

The province, just a few weeks ago, made national headlines when protests over a lack of water supply in Kathu and Olifantshoek broke out. Residents in these towns went on the rampage. Their protests saw every major road being blocked and an SAB truck being torched.

Lucas, nonetheless, assured the public that the provincial government is hard at work trying to help the municipalities in the province and are working on measures to address service delivery issues.

OFM News