THE cash-strapped Musina municipality in Limpopo has sought assistance from the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, asking it to speed up the payment of Vuna Awards to help run the affairs of the council.

The municipality had won the award for best administered municipality in the 2006-07 financial year.

The award goes with a cash prize of R1, 5 million.

In the 2006-07 financial year the municipality became the overall winner among the Limpopo municipalities and won R750000. In 2007-08 it netted another R750000.

The municipality is at present experiencing cash flow challenges and has sought the intervention of the provincial standing committee on public accounts, the response of which is still being awaited.

Municipal manager Abram Luruli said yesterday the department had cited administrative challenges relating to the transfer of the R1,5million in prize money as the main cause for the delay.

Five months later the money had still not been transferred to the municipality's bank account.

Luruli said the municipality was also being owed R1115442 by provincial government departments. A further R25,7 million was being owed by residents in unpaid rates and municipal services.

Attempts to speak to the department's spokesperson, Vuyelwa Qinga-Vika, failed.