Grahamstown rallied behind Makana municipal administrator Pam Yako when parliament’s National Council of Provinces (NCOP) came to town to check the progress since she took over.
With Yako’s six-month contract due to end in March, several groups working with her to fix deep-seated problems plaguing the under-performing municipality urged the NCOP select committee to give her more time and resources.
Although Yako received some bad press since her appointment the groups urged the NCOP to broaden her scope of reference.
While the Makana Civil Society Coalition (MSCS), Makana United Business Chamber, Rhodes University and the local minister’s fraternal called for her mandate to be extended, others urged the NCOP delegation to take more drastic steps and dissolve the municipal council.
MCSC member Thabani Mdlongwa said they were not convinced Yako alone could “rescue our distressed municipality” in the allocated timeframe.
“The focus of the intervention as explained to stakeholders is mainly to fill the key vacant positions, recover outstanding debt and to stabilise financial management.
“Given the municipality’s poor governance and service delivery track record, the local community is demanding rapid and sustained intervention.”
The non-political community collective – who have been working with Yako for months to tackle the problems – said she needed to be empowered and capacitated to act against councillors and officials who did not support the intervention and were implicated in financial misconduct.
Mdlongwa urged she also be allowed to “fill key positions without fear or political interference in order that the very best available personnel are appointed”.
Rhodes University vice-chancellor Dr Sizwe Mabizela said they were convinced Yako was steering Makana in the right direction and warned if she left the good work done could unravel.
“We appeal that her work be not frustrated by political wrangling and political interference.
“It is our appeal that she be given more time and space to firmly embed a culture of professionalism and responsiveness in our municipality.”
Mabizela, however, said they were “deeply concerned” with the financial capacity of the local authority. “The intervention in our municipality is working. Like a new-born, opportunity needs to be given to the intervention to walk before it can run.”
He said the university was committed to partnering the municipality every step of the way to make things work.
Although Makana united business chamber executive chair Lungile Mkube also called for Yako’s term to be extended he warned it would amount to nothing if fraud and corruption in the municipality were not addressed.
He called for mayor Zamuxolo Peter and speaker Rachel Madinda-Isaac to be removed and said they petitioned co-operative governance and traditional affairs MEC Fikile Xasa to intervene
“ are responsible for this state of paralysis … we have lost confidence in them.”
He said during the 2012-13 financial year more than R100-million was put out to tender by the municipality but only R700000 had gone to local small, medium and micro enterprises.
The MSCS and other speakers highlighted four audit disclaimers in four years, dodgy staff appointments, irregular payment of annual performance bonuses, the ongoing water crisis, a lack of infrastructure maintenance and poor service delivery as some of the problems. — davidm@dispatch.co.za
Hands off Yako, say institutions
With Yako’s six-month contract due to end in March, several groups working with her to fix deep-seated problems plaguing the under-performing municipality urged the NCOP select committee to give her more time and resources.
Although Yako received some bad press since her appointment the groups urged the NCOP to broaden her scope of reference.
While the Makana Civil Society Coalition (MSCS), Makana United Business Chamber, Rhodes University and the local minister’s fraternal called for her mandate to be extended, others urged the NCOP delegation to take more drastic steps and dissolve the municipal council.
MCSC member Thabani Mdlongwa said they were not convinced Yako alone could “rescue our distressed municipality” in the allocated timeframe.
“The focus of the intervention as explained to stakeholders is mainly to fill the key vacant positions, recover outstanding debt and to stabilise financial management.
“Given the municipality’s poor governance and service delivery track record, the local community is demanding rapid and sustained intervention.”
The non-political community collective – who have been working with Yako for months to tackle the problems – said she needed to be empowered and capacitated to act against councillors and officials who did not support the intervention and were implicated in financial misconduct.
Mdlongwa urged she also be allowed to “fill key positions without fear or political interference in order that the very best available personnel are appointed”.
Rhodes University vice-chancellor Dr Sizwe Mabizela said they were convinced Yako was steering Makana in the right direction and warned if she left the good work done could unravel.
“We appeal that her work be not frustrated by political wrangling and political interference.
“It is our appeal that she be given more time and space to firmly embed a culture of professionalism and responsiveness in our municipality.”
Mabizela, however, said they were “deeply concerned” with the financial capacity of the local authority. “The intervention in our municipality is working. Like a new-born, opportunity needs to be given to the intervention to walk before it can run.”
He said the university was committed to partnering the municipality every step of the way to make things work.
Although Makana united business chamber executive chair Lungile Mkube also called for Yako’s term to be extended he warned it would amount to nothing if fraud and corruption in the municipality were not addressed.
He called for mayor Zamuxolo Peter and speaker Rachel Madinda-Isaac to be removed and said they petitioned co-operative governance and traditional affairs MEC Fikile Xasa to intervene
“ are responsible for this state of paralysis … we have lost confidence in them.”
He said during the 2012-13 financial year more than R100-million was put out to tender by the municipality but only R700000 had gone to local small, medium and micro enterprises.
The MSCS and other speakers highlighted four audit disclaimers in four years, dodgy staff appointments, irregular payment of annual performance bonuses, the ongoing water crisis, a lack of infrastructure maintenance and poor service delivery as some of the problems. — davidm@dispatch.co.za
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