Midvaal: A model of good governance
12 June 2015
In the Auditor-General’s most recent (2013/14) local government audit the Midvaal local municipality received a clean audit.
While not the only municipality in Gauteng to have done so, the clean audit report follows on the back of a remarkable year – where international delegations came to Midvaal to learn from its models of good governance, local economic development and performance monitoring systems.
Delegations were received from Ghana’s Agona West Municipal District and Kenya’s Kisumu County, as well as a Zimbabwean delegation of municipal officials led by the German development agency, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
Since 2006, Midvaal has set the benchmark for local governance in Gauteng, and through well planned and effective implementation of its spatial development policies, has fast become a preferred investment destination.
The municipality’s eight development principles strike the perfect balance between natural resources and industrial activity, protecting and enhancing agricultural production, promoting tourism, and promoting industrial and commercial economic activity along the R59 development corridor.
Over the years, Midvaal has risen to become the best governed municipality in Gauteng, winning awards from government and the private sector alike,
According to StatsSA, Midvaal performs best on the provision of water and sanitation, with no backlogs at all.
The Municipal Productivity Index, a survey of 226 municipalities across the country, ranked Midvaal first in Gauteng and 6th in the country for its response to poverty, access to basic services and municipal finances.
Most importantly, its unemployment rate stands just below 19%, much lower than in the rest of Gauteng.
During the past years, municipalities across Gauteng have been riddled with reports and allegations of corruption and maladministration, yet there has not been one report of corruption in Midvaal since the DA took office.
With local government elections looming in 2016, more and more South Africans are focussing their attention on the quality of service delivery from their local municipalities.
It is becoming increasingly clear that municipalities under the stewardship of the DA are free from the scourge of corruption, deliver quality services to all residents, and provide an environment for thriving economic activity.
Where the DA governs, life is indeed better
Statement issued by Mike Moriarty MPL, DA Gauteng Constituency Head – Midvaal-Lesedi, June 12 2015
