Green light to emerge and rename struggling councils
Eight dysfunctional Eastern Cape local municipalities will soon be amalgamated and given new names.
The Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) has given the go-ahead for the mergers and the provincial cooperative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) department has called upon stakeholders to propose new names.
Provincial Cogta spokesman Mamnkeli Ngam said the process of re-determination of boundaries was done by the MDB after every election in a bid to build viable municipalities.
“These municipalities we are merging are small local municipalities that are not viable. They do not have a revenue base.
“This process is in the context of government’s back to basics programme, where we want to ensure that we serve our communities better through a bigger and better municipality,” Ngam said.
The local municipalities affected are in the Amathole, Sarah Baartman, Chris Hani and Joe Gqabi district municipalities.
lIn ADM, Nkonkobe will merge with Nxuba;
lIn Sarah Baartman, Ikwezi will merge with Camdeboo and Baviaans;
lIn Joe Gqabi, Gariep will merge with Maletswai; and
lIn Chris Hani, Tsolwana will merge with Lukhanji and Inkwanca.
Nkonkobe and Nxuba municipalities put adverts in the Dispatch last week calling for suggestions on new names for the new entity inviting all registered stakeholders in the municipality to submit proposed names with a motivation.
“The Municipal Demarcation Board (MDB) in its Circular 15/2015 pronounced that it has decided to go ahead with the determination and re-determination of the boundaries of the aforementioned municipalities on the 27 August 2015,” Nkonkobe Municipality acting municipal manager Lusanda Menze Menze said in the advert, adding that Cogta MEC Fikile Xasa had gazetted a determination of the Nxuba and Nkonkobe mergers.
The merger will reduce the number of local entities in ADM from seven to six. The other five are Mbhashe, Mnquma, Amahlati, Ngqushwa and Great Kei. The deadline for the proposal of names was Friday.