MAHIKENG MAIL - RUSTENBURG - The Bojanala Platinum District Municipality, with Dr Auchalie Mothupi in the driving seat as the Acting Municipal Manager (MM), came under the spotlight again - this time as North West Premier, Lazarus Kagiso Mokgosi, commended the transition the municipality was enjoying as a result of administrative measures that put the municipality on the pedestal of consequence management.
“We, as the provincial government identified struggling municipalities in the province and accordingly seconded and deployed capable managers to assist and turn them around. Bojanala Platinum District Municipality is one of them. I’m proud to announce that it turned the corner for the better since we deployed the Municipal Manager there,” said Mokgosi while delivering the State of the Province Address (SOPA) in Mahikeng last Thursday.
Dr Mothupi, a disciplinarian and a doyen of stability is used to gestures and voices of approval from councilors for, among others, time management, his role in bringing stability in the organisation and sound management of the MM’s office as well as addressing sound revenue collection issues and various administrative challenges.
The Bojanala Platinum District contributes 52.1% to the North West Province’s GDP, with Rustenburg alone accounting for 41.9% of the district’s GDP.
“A stable local sphere of government is critical to ensure provision of services and infrastructure to attract investments and contribute to Local Economic Development.
“Many of our municipalities are in financial distress unable to collect sufficient revenue to fund their operations and drive development.
“Regrettably, in some cases poor financial management and questionable procurement and tendering processes are responsible for the collapse of governance systems,” conceded the Premier.
He said they have directed the Provincial Treasury to conduct financial assessment on the 2024/25 draft budgets of municipalities to assess the credibility and funding of municipalities.
The Premier will convene the North West Premier’s Coordinating Council with all Mayors to present the outcome of our assessment and demand accountability from municipalities to improve their financial management.
In addition, the Executive Council has adopted preemptive implementation of Sections 139 (5) & 154 of the Constitution to assist Municipalities to meet their Financial Recovery and support governance.
“We have seconded senior managers to Bojanala, Tswaing, and Ditsobotla to assist with Institutional Capacity. The Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs has appointed a Turn-Around team of experts in the fields of engineering, finance, town planning and information technology to help change the face of local government.
“The Skills Audit Project in all municipalities is now complete with only Naledi and Ngaka Modiri Molema as outstanding municipalities.
“The audit will be ready for implementation by beginning of September 2024,” asserted the Premier.
