The Midvaal municipality stands out like an oasis of excellence in a desert of mediocrity, incompetence and corruption that characterises a majority of SA’s municipalities.
According to the latest Auditor General (AG) report on local government audit outcomes, SA’s 257 municipalities paint a gloomy picture, with only 34 obtaining a clean audit.
The Midvaal municipality is the only one in Gauteng to achieve this rare feat. Not only that, it has achieved this feat for 10 consecutive years. With a population of 125,000, the municipality boasts an impressive scorecard, which includes owing Eskom nothing.
Earlier this year, Ratings Africa declared Midvaal and Mossel Bay the country’s best-run municipalities, based on a scoring system that rewards operating performance, debt and liquidity management, affordability of living, budget practices and infrastructure development.
The municipality is DA-run and used to have Bongani Baloyi as its mayor. He left to join the rambling Herman Mashaba’s ActionSA, left to form an obscure outfit named Xiluva and then downgraded to the rogues gallery that is MK Party. I digress.
According to reports, the Midvaal municipal offices and surrounding streets are some of the cleanest in the country. Littering and land invasions are said to be swear words around these areas. Illegal electrical and water connections are not tolerated.
Municipal debts are well managed, which enables the municipality to supply 6,000 litres of free water to indigent households each month, after which the community has to pay for their pre-paid water.
This system encourages residents to report water leakages and thus help prevent water wastage. Land invasions are said to be handled by the Red Ants, who are outsourced to patrol the area looking for signs of illegal settlements to nip them in the bud. Talk about proactivity.
The municipality spends 12% of its annual budget of R2bn on maintenance and repairs. This ensures that potholes are repaired, electricity faults are fixed and the water supply is constant.
The mayor, Peter Texeira, offers a hint on why the municipality works. “There is no system of patronage here at Midvaal. Merit is the only way to get ahead.”
What a refreshing perspective. The vigilance the municipality displayed has ensured that the so-called construction mafias, which have been wreaking havoc throughout the country by hijacking projects, have been successfully warded off.
In sharp contrast, most South African municipalities which are ANC-run are characterised by litter everywhere and sewage seeping onto the streets. Johannesburg, which used to be the envy of the continent, is a pitiful shadow of its former self.
Eskom debt by municipalities is estimated at several billions. Illegal water and electricity connections are the norm with inconvenient power and water interruptions the order of the day. American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker, Paul J Meyer argued that “Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning and focused effort.”
What is therefore needed from the failing municipalities to reverse their state of mediocrity is an attitudinal and ethical shift towards excellence as a goal to be pursued.
The Midvaal and other well-performing municipalities can and should serve as a blueprint for those who lag. For the systems to work, corruption and its concomitant practices, such as cadre deployment, should be completely eradicated.
We need to embrace the spirit of excellence that will propel our country forward. Starting from our homes, schools, churches, workplaces and organisations, we need to turn our institutions into centres of excellence. In whatever we do, we need to strive to do our best by paying close attention to detail.
OPINION | Midvaal municipality stands out for 10 years in a row
Council boasts owing Eskom nothing
Image: Supplied
The Midvaal municipality stands out like an oasis of excellence in a desert of mediocrity, incompetence and corruption that characterises a majority of SA’s municipalities.
According to the latest Auditor General (AG) report on local government audit outcomes, SA’s 257 municipalities paint a gloomy picture, with only 34 obtaining a clean audit.
The Midvaal municipality is the only one in Gauteng to achieve this rare feat. Not only that, it has achieved this feat for 10 consecutive years. With a population of 125,000, the municipality boasts an impressive scorecard, which includes owing Eskom nothing.
Earlier this year, Ratings Africa declared Midvaal and Mossel Bay the country’s best-run municipalities, based on a scoring system that rewards operating performance, debt and liquidity management, affordability of living, budget practices and infrastructure development.
The municipality is DA-run and used to have Bongani Baloyi as its mayor. He left to join the rambling Herman Mashaba’s ActionSA, left to form an obscure outfit named Xiluva and then downgraded to the rogues gallery that is MK Party. I digress.
According to reports, the Midvaal municipal offices and surrounding streets are some of the cleanest in the country. Littering and land invasions are said to be swear words around these areas. Illegal electrical and water connections are not tolerated.
Municipal debts are well managed, which enables the municipality to supply 6,000 litres of free water to indigent households each month, after which the community has to pay for their pre-paid water.
This system encourages residents to report water leakages and thus help prevent water wastage. Land invasions are said to be handled by the Red Ants, who are outsourced to patrol the area looking for signs of illegal settlements to nip them in the bud. Talk about proactivity.
The municipality spends 12% of its annual budget of R2bn on maintenance and repairs. This ensures that potholes are repaired, electricity faults are fixed and the water supply is constant.
The mayor, Peter Texeira, offers a hint on why the municipality works. “There is no system of patronage here at Midvaal. Merit is the only way to get ahead.”
What a refreshing perspective. The vigilance the municipality displayed has ensured that the so-called construction mafias, which have been wreaking havoc throughout the country by hijacking projects, have been successfully warded off.
In sharp contrast, most South African municipalities which are ANC-run are characterised by litter everywhere and sewage seeping onto the streets. Johannesburg, which used to be the envy of the continent, is a pitiful shadow of its former self.
Eskom debt by municipalities is estimated at several billions. Illegal water and electricity connections are the norm with inconvenient power and water interruptions the order of the day. American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker, Paul J Meyer argued that “Productivity is never an accident. It is always the result of a commitment to excellence, intelligent planning and focused effort.”
What is therefore needed from the failing municipalities to reverse their state of mediocrity is an attitudinal and ethical shift towards excellence as a goal to be pursued.
The Midvaal and other well-performing municipalities can and should serve as a blueprint for those who lag. For the systems to work, corruption and its concomitant practices, such as cadre deployment, should be completely eradicated.
We need to embrace the spirit of excellence that will propel our country forward. Starting from our homes, schools, churches, workplaces and organisations, we need to turn our institutions into centres of excellence. In whatever we do, we need to strive to do our best by paying close attention to detail.
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