MEC Oupa Khoabane spoke to OFM News on the sidelines of the FS Local Government Lekgotla currently underway in Bloemfontein.

He says following the much talked about controversy at the troubled municipality, measures to revive the municipality have been put in place to make sure the municipality is well functioning.

Earlier, Scopa Chairperson Neels van Rooyen told OFM News that the committee was planning to take the legal action against the MEC and the municipality.

This after the committee cried foul at the lack of commitment shown by Khoabane who snubbed two meetings with the committee. Khoabane has since today refuted these claims.

“I was not able to attend and appear before the committee because of other commitments I had and I did not snub the committee. But we are looking at the situation at Fezile Dabi and we are looking at it to ensure that there’s stability,” says Khoabane.

Asked about issues between his department and the FS Legislature on Public Accounts (Scopa), Khoabane says his department has joined hands with the Committee on Public Accounts to come up with effective ways of dealing with issues in the municipalities.

Meanwhile this morning, various government stakeholders took the stage during the FS Lekgotla to highlight serious challenges facing municipalities across the province.

Earlier this morning the Mangaung Metro Municipality Mayor, Olly Mlamleli, told the Lekgotla that the metro is heavily owed by different government spheres or departments but also said there are plans to recover the monies with the help of the Premier Sisi Ntombela.

Khoabane said he remains optimistic that challenges at local municipalities in the province can be successfully tackled.

 He said he was aware that following the release of a report by the Auditor General on the progress of municipalities, municipalities in the province featured highly on the report with many plagued by financial troubles.

OFM News