LERATO MBHIZA
Xhariep residents in the Free State have told the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.that the current arrangement of merging small and poorer towns that have no economic activity, should be discontinued.
This emerged during the Independent Municipal Demarcation Authority (IMDA) Bill which is currently a subject of nationwide public consultation process by the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
The portfolio committee conducted public hearings on the Bill over the weekend in Edenburg, Free State where the residents suggested that the new demarcation body that the Bill seeks to create must establish smaller wards and municipalities that will be easy to manage for effective service delivery.
They said the current arrangement of vast municipalities and wards is hindering service delivery as most of these municipalities are struggling to deliver services to the people.
According to committee chairperson Fikile Xasa, residents proposed that in order to create economically viable municipalities, smaller and economically poor towns should be merged with bigger ones with vibrant economies.
The committee also heard that the process of changing municipal boundaries and delimitation of wards must run concurrently with Statistics South Africa’s census for better planning purposes by the government.
Xasa assured participants that all their views have been captured and will be considered when the committee deliberates on the Bill in Parliament.
“The Bill seeks to repeal and replace the Local Government: Municipal Demarcation Act, to align and update the legislation with current Demarcation Board practices, and to rename the Municipal Demarcation Board to the Independent Municipal Demarcation Authority,” said Xasa.
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