As residents remain fed up with the lack of service delivery among various other issues which have been plaguing the town, Newcastle Municipal Manager, Zamani Mcineka, has laid bare the shocking truth about the state of the municipality and its financial constraints.
Mcineka began by offering his sincere apologies to the community of Newcastle.
“As the current administration – having inherited the present challenges that the municipality is faced with – on behalf of the Administration and Council of Newcastle, it is proper for me to tender the apology to our community for the lack of service delivery that we are currently experiencing,” said Mcineka.
With 40 years’ experience in government, Mcineka said that his integrity has never been questioned. He explained that the financial maladministration that has been covered up from the previous administration has been the catalyst for the municipality being bankrupt and has therefore had a huge impact on service delivery in the town.
Another issue is that municipal employees are allegedly on a ‘go-slow’ because of their high political rate. Mcineka stated that as a municipal manager, he is there to do his job and to serve the community of Newcastle and that will remain his core focus as he sets out to make Newcastle great again.
He also claimed that a previous administration hired service providers who were closely related to the mayor at that time. Adding to that, Mcineka said that building a new municipal building was completely unnecessary and that during the early days of planning, a total of three architects were hired and paid R300 000 each for plans before said plans were even produced.
The municipality has also lost R13 million in grants with a further R4 million being ‘lost on employees’. Adding to the ongoing raw sewage spills around the town, a total pipe replacement in Newcastle would cost a staggering R660 million as well as R750 000 to replace each power station unit of which there are currently four.
However, a plan is in place but Mcineka explained that it would not happen overnight.
“In order to regain financial stability and – most importantly – service delivery, we have partnered with a private company called Pro!Africa, which will be at no cost to the municipality and will strengthen the foundations of stability and development and aim to particularly foster good governance, the rule of law, the fight against corruption and educational opportunities,” he explained.
Plans are in the pipeline to begin fixing the town and to bring electricity to residents of Siyahlala-La who have been living in the dark with empty promises up until now. Funding for electricity was granted on 1 March 2023 in the amount of R21.5 million and residents are expected to enjoy the basic right to electricity soon.
Mcineka also reiterated that communication between the municipality and the community will improve as the municipality recently welcomed a new communications director. Mcineka also took the opportunity to share a Human Rights Day message with the community.
“The 21st of March marks an iconic day in the rich history of South Africa as the country commemorates the sacrifices that accompanied the fight and the unified rise of South Africans against oppression. This year, we still remember those who sacrificed their lives for the betterment of our country under the theme ‘Leave No One Behind, Walk For Your Rights’. As South Africans, we must use this day as a reminder that our freedom was not free, and that our human rights came at a cost,” he said.
