The contribution of more than R100 million was made towards the Procurement Infrastructure and Knowledge Management (PINK) Programme, which seeks to address two of the main causes of irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure within municipalities that impact significantly on the provision of basic service delivery.

PINK’s media advisor, Phozisa Mkele explained the contribution has been allocated to Public Procurement; Infrastructure Management and Public Finance Management support - aimed at enhancing peer-learning and knowledge management capacity in eight pilot municipalities in the Free State and Mpumalanga Provinces.

Mkele in a press statement further stated that the four pilot municipalities in the province that will receive aid are the Setsoto, Tswelopele, Moqhaka and Metsimaholo Municipalities. The PINK programme is a 5 year Swiss funded Capacity Development programme aligned with the priorities of the National Treasury.

The Programme’s strategic focus is to encourage increased cost effective, socially inclusive and sustainable service delivery at a provincial and local government level.  The programme seeks to curtail low capacity within the municipalities and provincial treasuries through legislative practices, policy and guidelines intent on enhancing the regulatory frameworks on supply chain management (SCM), improving SCM law and increasing strategic sourcing of services and infrastructure management.

ALSO READ: Another Free State municipality under administration

OFM News previously reported that the Frankfort-headquartered Mafube local municipality has been placed under administration, as the provincial ExCo believes that the municipality is an ongoing concern. The municipality has for a number of years failed to provide quality service delivery. It is at the moment posing a challenge due to the financial distress, rising services arrears debt. Also ageing infrastructure challenges, including dependency on conditional grants and equitable share.

ALSO READ: Mafube residents call for intervention

The provincial premier, Sisi Ntombela held her post-presidential Imbizo this past weekend in Namahadi in the Mafube municipality. Councillor Suzette Steyn, for the DA at the municipality stated there is no yellow fleet left to do basic services in the area. Steyn added that infrastructure a problem, and the road conditions are bad and unemployment leads to an increasing number of criminal activities. There are 57 000 residents in Mafube, and 37 000 are unemployed, this is according to Steyn.

OFM News