THE Buffalo City council is racing against time to finalise its Integrated Development Plan (IDP) budget for 2013-2014.
The metro has advertised its consultative meetings, across all 50 BCM wards, which start on April 2 in local media.
But insiders say this seems impossible to achieve.
BCM spokesman Keith Ngesi confirmed this week that the budget review process had been delayed by two-and-a-half months, following postponements of important meetings on the city’s calendar.
The city’s 100 councillors spent five days at Mpekweni Resort last week trying to speed up the process, as well as deal with outstanding policy reviews.
The five-day workshop was earmarked for policy reviews initially but BCM mayor Zukiswa Ncitha asked that the first two days be used to finalise IDP discussions.
But several issues remained outstanding, and another impromptu meeting was held at a local hotel three days later (last Friday) to deal with outstanding issues. Ncitha told the Daily Dispatch this week that all councillors had been summoned to another workshop last Friday, “to wrap up loose ends”.
Ngesi said initially an executive mayo rallekgotla was to be held from November 20 to 22 last year. “That lekgotla was meant to give political direction to the IDP and budget review 2013-2014, provide political direction in response to the situational analysis of the metro and decide on areas of priority considering the myriad of challenges faced by the metro.
“The postponement of the meeting delayed the IDP and budget review process by two-and-a-half months.
“A lekgotla that was supposed to be held from November 20 to 22 last year ended up being held February 28 to March 3 2013,” he said.
The Ncitha-led council started its term on a wrong-footing, as the previous council also failed to adopt an IDP budget due to similar delays.
At the time, ANC councillors were divided in factional differences and as a result council meetings were postponed indefinitely. This saw the new council taking over without having an IDP budget.
Ngesi confirmed that according to the municipal diary, March 15 to 19 March had been earmarked for a policy workshop – where 23 policy reviews including one on disaster management were to be considered.
However,But “it was requested that two of the five days be dedicated to taking councillors through the IDP and budget prior to tabling it in council for adoption”, said Ngesi.
Asked if the IDP roadshows which had been scheduled for April 2, would continue as planned, Ngesi said “preparations are under way and the institution is still preparing to visit each of the 50 wards”.
Mayor Ncitha assured residents that the coun cil would try its best to ensure everything went according to schedule. —
Metro races to finish IDP budget
The metro has advertised its consultative meetings, across all 50 BCM wards, which start on April 2 in local media.
But insiders say this seems impossible to achieve.
BCM spokesman Keith Ngesi confirmed this week that the budget review process had been delayed by two-and-a-half months, following postponements of important meetings on the city’s calendar.
The city’s 100 councillors spent five days at Mpekweni Resort last week trying to speed up the process, as well as deal with outstanding policy reviews.
The five-day workshop was earmarked for policy reviews initially but BCM mayor Zukiswa Ncitha asked that the first two days be used to finalise IDP discussions.
But several issues remained outstanding, and another impromptu meeting was held at a local hotel three days later (last Friday) to deal with outstanding issues. Ncitha told the Daily Dispatch this week that all councillors had been summoned to another workshop last Friday, “to wrap up loose ends”.
Ngesi said initially an executive mayo rallekgotla was to be held from November 20 to 22 last year. “That lekgotla was meant to give political direction to the IDP and budget review 2013-2014, provide political direction in response to the situational analysis of the metro and decide on areas of priority considering the myriad of challenges faced by the metro.
“The postponement of the meeting delayed the IDP and budget review process by two-and-a-half months.
“A lekgotla that was supposed to be held from November 20 to 22 last year ended up being held February 28 to March 3 2013,” he said.
The Ncitha-led council started its term on a wrong-footing, as the previous council also failed to adopt an IDP budget due to similar delays.
At the time, ANC councillors were divided in factional differences and as a result council meetings were postponed indefinitely. This saw the new council taking over without having an IDP budget.
Ngesi confirmed that according to the municipal diary, March 15 to 19 March had been earmarked for a policy workshop – where 23 policy reviews including one on disaster management were to be considered.
However,But “it was requested that two of the five days be dedicated to taking councillors through the IDP and budget prior to tabling it in council for adoption”, said Ngesi.
Asked if the IDP roadshows which had been scheduled for April 2, would continue as planned, Ngesi said “preparations are under way and the institution is still preparing to visit each of the 50 wards”.
Mayor Ncitha assured residents that the coun cil would try its best to ensure everything went according to schedule. —
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