An analysis of financial administration of municipal infrastructure grant in OR Tambo District Municipality with reference to water and sanitation

Abstract

One of the components of the National Development Plan (NDP) is to strengthen mechanisms for the effective and efficient delivery of services. The local sphere of government is crucial for service delivery due to its closeness to the people. In addressing the past imbalances and ensuring accelerated service delivery to poor households, the Department of Cooperative Governance (DCoG) established the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) as the primary funding mechanism for infrastructure delivery. The Municipal Infrastructure Grant is a capital funding programme in South Africa that is aimed at providing basic infrastructure services to poor households (households with a maximum monthly income of R2 300, according to census data from 2011). The National Treasury halted R90 million intended for the municipal infrastructure grant funding in the 2016–17 fiscal year because of inaccurate reporting, incomplete project registration, and sluggish project implementation. The OR Tambo District Municipality (ORTDM) is largely rural and has a significant backlog in water and sanitation services. Although the municipality received the highest MIG allocation from the National Treasury, it still faces myriad of administrative challenges. The study is aimed at providing an analysis of the financial administration of MIG with reference to water and sanitation in ORTDM. The study employed a qualitative approach to collect data through an interview schedule. Interviews were conducted to collect primary data from the participants. The use of document analysis was adopted as a secondary data collection process to seek convergence and or corroborate the interviews. The study found that the municipality was experiencing challenges in administering the grant. Some of the challenges they faced were the lack of capacity, poor planning, and the terrain/topography of the project site. Further challenges were the overreliance on service providers, the contradiction of the Municipal Financial Management Act 56 of 2003 (RSA, 2003) with engineering laws, cross-planting solutions that are more applicable in urban areas than in their rural counterparts, political instability, delays in supply chain management as well as delegating junior officials from a higher sphere of government to act in a senior post in municipalities – all of which were identified as some of the shortcomings in administering the MIG. Sometimes the municipality did not comply with MIG statutory requirements, such as the spending requirements, project registration and reporting. Lastly, politicians interfered with the administrators' work by trying to influence the committee during the procurement process to bid for their preferred contractors. The study provides recommendations on the effective and efficient administration of the MIG with reference to water and sanitation and suggests possible ways of addressing the challenges in the OR Tambo District municipality.

Elinye lamacandelo esiCwangciso soPhuhliso seSizwe (i-NDP) kukomeleza iindlela zonikezelo lweenkonzo olufanelekileyo nolusebenzayo. Isigaba sikarhulumente sasekhaya sibalulekile kunikezelo lweenkonzo ngenxa yokusondelelana kwakhe nabantu .Ukuqubisana nokungalingani kwangaphambili kunye nokuqinisekisa ukuhanjiswa kweenkonzo okukhawulezileyo kumakhaya ahluphekayo, iSebe loLawulo lweNtsebenziswano (DCoG) liseke iSibonelelo seZiseko ezinguNdoqo zikaMasipala (MIG) njengeyona ndlela engundoqo yokuxhasa ngemali ukusebenza kweziseko zikaMasipala.ISibonelelo seZiseko ezinguNdoqo sikaMasipala yinkqubo yenkxaso-mali enkulu eMzantsi Afrika ejolise ekuboneleleni ngeenkonzo ezisisiseko kumakhaya ahluphekayo (amakhaya anomvuzo wenyanga ongama-R2 300, ngokweenkcukacha zobalo lwabantu ukususela ngowama-2011). UNondyebo weSizwe umise i-R90 yezigidi zeerandi kunyaka-mali wama-2016–17 ngenxa yengxelo engachanekanga, ukubhaliswa kweeprojekthi okungagqitywanga, kunye nokucotha kokuphunyezwa kweeprojekthi. Umasipala weSithili sase-OR Tambo (ORTDM) ubukhulu becala usezilalini kwaye unokusilela okubonakalayo kwiinkonzo zamanzi nogutyulo.Nangona umasipala efumene esona sabelo siphezulu seMIG kuNondyebo weSizwe, usajongene nemicelimngeni yolawulo. Uphononongo lujolise ekunikeni uhlalutyo lolawulo lwemali lwe-MIG ngokubhekiselele kumanzi nogutyulo lwelindle kwi-ORTDM.

Uphononongo lusebenzise indlela esemgangathweni yokuqokelela idatha ngokwenkqubo yodliwanondlebe. Udliwanondlebe lalwenzelwe ukuqokelela idatha engundoqo kubathathi-nxaxheba. Ukusetyenziswa kohlalutyo lwamaxwebhu kwamkelwa njengenkqubo yokuqokelelwa kwedatha yesibini ukufuna ukuhlangabezana kunye okanye ukuxhasa udliwanondlebe.Uphononongo lufumanise ukuba umasipala ufumana imicelimngeni ekulawuleni isibonelelo. Eminye yemicelimngeni abajongene nayo kukunqongophala kwezakhono, ucwangciso olulambathayo, kunye nobume bomhlaba/ubume bendawo yeprojekthi. Eminye imicelimngeni ibe kukuthembela ngokugqithisileyo kubanikezeli beenkonzo, inkcaso yoMthetho woLawulo lweMali kaMasipala wama-56 ka-2003 (RSA, 2003) kunye nemithetho yobunjineli, izisombululo zotyalo-mali ezisebenza ngakumbi kwiindawo zasezidolophini kunabo basemaphandleni, ukungazinzi kwezopolitiko, ukulibaziseka. kulawulo lwesixokelelwano sonikezelo ngokunjalo nokunyula amagosa akwinqanaba elisezantsi asuka kwinqanaba eliphezulu likarhulumente ukuba abambe kwisikhundla esiphezulu koomasipala – zonke ezo zichongwe njengezinye zeentsilelo kulawulo lweMIG.Ngamanye amaxesha umasipala ebengahambelani neemfuneko zomthetho weMIG, ezifana neemfuno zenkcitho, ukubhaliswa kweprojekthi kunye nokunika ingxelo. Okokugqibela, abezopolitiko baye baphazamisana nomsebenzi wabalawuli ngokuzama ukuphembelela ikomiti ngexesha lenkqubo yokuthengwa kweempahla neenkonzo ukuze kubizwe iikontraka abazithandayo. Uphononongo lunikeza iingcebiso kulawulo olufanelekileyo nolusebenzayo lwe-MIG ngokubhekisele kumanzi nogutyulo kwaye lucebisa iindlela ezinokubakho zokukhawulelana nemingeni kumasipala weSithili sase-OR Tambo.

E nngwe ya dikarolo tsa Morero wa Ntshetsopele wa Naha ke ho matlafatsa metjha ya ho etsa ka hohle hore phano ya ditshebeletso e be e kgotsofatsang le ho tsamaiswa hantle. Lekala la mmuso wa lehae le bohlokwa phanong ya ditshebeletso ka ha e le lona le sebetsang le baahi haholo. Ho rarolla mathata a ditshebeletso tse sa fumantsweng ka ho tshwana le ho netefatsa hore malapa a dikojwana di mahetleng a sebeletswa ka potlako, Lefapha la Puso ya Kopanelo le entse Kerante (Thuso ya tjhelete eo mmuso o fanang ka yona) ya Infrastraktjha ya Bomasepala hore e be motjha wa motheo o thusang bomasepala hore ba kgone ho fana ka ditshebeletso. Kerante ya Infrastraktjha ya Bomasepala ke moralotshebetso wa ho fana ka tjhelete Aforika Borwa, oo sepheo sa oona e leng ho etsa hore malapa a dikojwana di mahetleng a fumantshwe ditshebeletso tsa motheo (malapa ao maksimamo ya moputso wa oona wa kgwedi e leng R2 300, ho ya ka dipalopalo tsa ho tloha selemong sa 2011). Lefapha la Matlotlo a Setjhaba le emisitse dimiliyone tse 90 tsa diranta selemong sa ditjhelete sa 2016-17 ka lebaka la dipehelo tse sa nepahalang, ngodiso e sa phethelwang ya diporojeke le ho tsamaisa porojeke e nkang nako e telele ho arabela ditlhoko. Boholo ba Masepala wa Setereke sa OR Tambo ke sebaka sa mahaeng mme o salletse morao haholo ka ditshebeletso tsa metsi le ho tsamaisa dikgwerekgwere. Le ha masepala o fumane tjhelete e hodimo ka ho fetisisa ya MIG Lefapheng la Matlotlo a Setjhaba, o ntse o na le mathata a mangata ka ho fetisisa a botsamaisi. Sepheo sa phuputso e ne e le ho hlahloba tsamaiso ya ditjhelete tsa MIG e mabapi le ditshebeletso tsa metsi le tsamaiso ya dikgwerekgwere ORTDM. Ho etsa phuputso, ho bokelletswe le ho hlopholla lesedi le fumanweng ka ho etsa diinthaviu, ho utlwisisa mehopolo, maikutlo kapa diketsahalo tse etsahetseng. Diinthaviu di etseditswe ho bokella datha ya motheo bathong ba neng ba nka karolo phuputsong. Tselatshebetsong ya bobedi ya ho bokella datha, bafuputsi ba hlahlobile ditokomane ho utlwisisa haholwanyana ka sehlooho se fuputswang ho kopanya se ngotsweng le kapa ho netefatsa datha ya diinthaviu. Phuputso e fumane hore masepala o ne o na le mathata a ho tsamaisa kerante. A mang a mathata ao masepala o neng o na le oona e ne e le ho hloka bokgoni, ho se be le merero e kgonang ho phomella, le ho ithuta hore sebaka seo porojeke e etsetswang ho sona se hlophisitswe jwang. Mathata a mang e ne e le ho beha tshepo ya oona bathong ba neng ba fana ka ditshebeletso haholo, ho se dumellane ha Molao wa 56 wa selemo sa 2003 wa Tsamaiso ya Ditjhelete tsa Masepala (RAB, 2003) le melao ya boenjinere, ho sebedisa mawa a ho jala dijalo di bapile dibakeng tsa ditoropong ho feta tsa mahaeng, ho se be le botsitso dipolotiking, ho tsamaisa ditshebetso ka bonya tsamaisong ya dintho/ditshebeletso ho tloha ho mohlahisi ho ya ho mosebedisi wa tsona le ho kgetha diofisiri tsa boemo bo tlase tsa lekala le hodingwana la mmuso ho tshwara marapo mokobobo mosebetsing wa maemo a hodimo bomasepaleng - mathata ana kaofela a fumanwe e le a mang a bofokodi ba ho tsamaisa MIG. Ka dinako tse ding, masepala o ne o sa sebetse ho ya ka ditlhoko tsa molao wa MIG, tse jwalo ka ditlhoko tsa ho sebedisa ditjhelete, ho ngodisa diporojeke le ho hlophisa pehelo ya tshebetso ya tsona. Ntlheng ya qetela, boradipolotiki ba ne ba itshunyatshunya mosebetsing wa motsamaisi ba leka ho laola komiti nakong ya tselatshebetso ya kgetha bafani ba ditshebeletso ho ba reka hore ba kenye bakgethwa ba bona.

Phuputso e fana ka ditshisinyo ka tsamaiso e kgotsofatsang le ho tsamaiswa hantle ya MIG ditshebeletsong tsa metsi le tsamaiso ya dikgwerekgwere le ho sisinya ditsela tse ka sebetsang ho rarolla mathatha masepaleng wa Setereke sa OR Tambo.