MEC DUBE-NCUBE APPLAUDS DRAMATIC FALL IN MUNICIPAL DEBT OWED BY KZN COUNCILLORS
The MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Nomusa Dube-Ncube, has expressed satisfaction about the decreasing number of KZN councillors owing municipal rates and services charges and the overall sums involved in such outstanding debts.
In her recent analysis on debt owed by councillors and in comparisons to the previous years, the index is showing a dramatic decline.
Earlier this year, Dube-Ncube, instructed municipal councils in all the province's 61 municipalities to institute disciplinary action against any councillor found to have defaulted on his or her rates as this constitutes a violation of the councillors' code of conduct.
"The councillors have clearly heeded our calls to lead by example and pay up their outstanding debts. No councillor can expect his or her constituents to have faith in their municipal administration if he or she defaults on municipal payments in the first place," said KZN MEC for COGTA Nomusa Dube-Ncube.
The tough stance by Dube-Ncube came after an in-depth investigation by her department into a number of compliance issues by municipal office bearers and officials, which included investigations into payments of rates by councillors. This is a universal obligation on all municipal residents, except those who qualify as indigents.
The departmental investigation whose results were published in January and forced the MEC's hand revealed that a total of R1.5 million was owed by councillors at the time to various municipalities throughout KZN.
"We need a local government that is caring and professional. As leaders, we cannot honestly ask communities to pay for their municipal services when we ourselves are not walking the talk. I am glad this message has now sunk in," said Dube-Ncube.
In January, Dube-Ncube ordered the Speakers of municipal councils to convene a meeting to deal with the issue of outstanding debts owed by councillors and report back to the department.
"Our municipalities depend for their survival on rates being paid and we rightfully expect all eligible rate payers to honour their obligation and councillors in particular to be model ratepayers themselves," she said, adding that she will also extend the investigation to civil servants in every other sphere of government.
Dube-Ncube congratulated KZN councillors for being exemplary and positively lifting the image of local government.
Statement issued by KZN COGTA spokesperson Lennox Mabaso, July 28 2014
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