Forty five Eastern Cape mayors met in East London last week to individually sign an agreement between their respective Councils and the Eastern Cape (EC) MEC for Local Government and Traditional Affairs.
The agreements outline the performance and delivery expectations of government and will be used to assess if each EC mayor has met them.
In a press release received by St Francis Chronicle the EC MEC, Mlibo Qoboshiyane, said the purpose of signing this session was to ensure everyone commits to improving service delivery to poor communities. “It is also an endeavour to ensure municipalities deliver sustainable services and strengthen communication with their communities.
“This initiative also seeks to address worrying trends and signs that are undermining the progress and successes that have been achieved so far.”
Commenting after signing an agreement, Kouga’s mayor, Booi Koerat, said: “The service delivery agreement is an important step in the right direction. It will help to ensure that political leaders of municipalities take their responsibilities seriously.
“We will be using this document as one of the cornerstones for our Integrated Development Plan (IDP).”
Qoboshiyane also said the agreements he signed with all the EC mayors are inline with Outcome 9 of the 12 outcomes of government. Outcome 9 is about local government and is aimed at ensuring a responsive, accountable, effective and efficient local government system.
“All these agreements reflect government’s delivery and implementation plans for the foremost priorities up to 2014. There is no place for complacency and excuses. Everything we do must contribute towards building better communities and a betterEastern Cape,” he said.
“We can’t continue to be deemed as the most under performing and poor province in this country anymore, we must change that picture now.”
He believed that through the agreements, the Province will effectively respond to issues raised in the 2009/10 Financial Year Auditor General’s Report, that 14 municipalities received qualified audit opinions, 4 municipalities received adverse audit opinions and 18 Municipalities received disclaimers and 9 Municipalities received unqualified opinions.
He pointed out that all EC mayors must provide potent leadership, financial and performance management and as proper governance in their respective municipalities to perform better in delivering services to our people.
Each Delivery Agreement provides detail to the outputs, targets, indicators and key activities to achieve outcome 9, identified inputs and clarifies the roles and responsibilities of various delivery partners. It also spells out who will do what, by when and with what resources.
The Service Delivery Agreements will be reviewed annually through monitoring and evaluation (M&E) findings.
The seven outputs linked to outcome 9 are: Output 1: Implement of a differentiated approach to municipal financing, Planning and support; Output 2: Improving Access to Basic Services; Output 3: Implementation of the Community Work Programme; Output 4: Action supportive of human settlement outcomes; Output 5: Deepen democracy through a refined Ward Committee Model; Output 6: Administrative and financial capability; and Output 7: Single window of coordination.
Qoboshiyane added that his department will provide support to municipalities. “As MEC, I will work with all municipalities to ensure proper implementation of service delivery… mayors are going to report to the MuniMEC on how they are implementing their agreements.
“We will not rest until we have successfully managed to build better communities where our people easily and to some extent, freely access municipal and other government services, where they get clean water, sanitation, decent jobs, good healthcare, and we end crime, fraud, corruption, have potent rural development, agrarian reform and effective education for all.”
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They talk the talk … it remains to be seen whether they will walk the walk!
Well, I hope it will improve their services. Also, the best thing about them is the really provide great service.