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CASE OPENED FOR CONTRAVENTION OF THE DISASTER MANAGEMENT ACT REGULATIONS

A case has been opened against family members who contravened Disaster Management Act Regulations. One suspect briefly appeared before the Lady Frere Magistrate Court recently following two arrests made by the South African Police Services.
The district reported last week on alleged assault of an official – Environmental Health Practitioner (EHP) – at a Funeral who was working in the Cacadu area at the time. In terms of the Environmental Health Guidelines for the Management of Human Remains in the context of Covid-19, Environmental Health has a key role to play in monitoring the management of human remains that dies of an infectious disease, including COVID-19.
The monitoring include providing guidance and advice to funeral undertakers on management of infectious human remains, inspection of premises where bodies are prepared, stored and disposed of. EHPs are responsible to monitor that precautions are undertaken to ensure that appropriate practices are used to prevent direct contact with infectious material.
The pace at which Covid-19 spreads requires all of us to adjust to the new way of life. We are deeply concerned by incidents like these and similar reports that are surfacing of refusal to comply by some families. We plead with our communities to adhere to the set regulations to avoid further infections and possible deaths, let us do the right thing and save lives.
CHDM has been hard at work since the pandemic closely monitoring COVID-19 funerals throughout the district. These efforts are continuing despite the encounter, to ensure compliance with set measures and to curb further infections.
We would like to take this opportunity to express our deepest condolences to those who have lost their loved ones to Covid-19. We also extend our sympathies to all those who have contracted the disease and their families as well wishing them speedy recovery.
The affected official is currently receiving trauma counselling.
Cllr Wongama Gela
Executive Mayor
CHDM

Water Supply interruption: Tarkastad Area (15/07/2020)

Customers are kindly notified of water supply interruption due to a burst pipe in the location. Our technicians are on site busy working on the pipe.
We apologize for the inconvenience, for more information please contact 0800100100.
Together in Service Delivery
Gcobani Mashiyi Municipal Manager
Chris Hani District Municipality

Water Supply Interruption: Komani 15/07/20

Ezibeleni & High Laying Areas in Town will experience water supply interruptions this evening and in the morning due to a technical failure in the pumping system. Our technicians are attending to this.
We apologize for the inconvenience, for more information please contact 0800100100.
Together in service delivery
Gcobani Mashiyi
Municipal Manager
Chris Hani District Municipality

Water supply interruption : Middleburg Area (14/07/2020)

This serves to notify the community of KwaNonzame in Middleburg that there are two burst pipes being attended by CHDM technical team. This has resulted to temporal closure of water supply in order to repair the pipes.
We do apologize for the inconvenience for enquiries call 0800100100
Together in service delivery.
Gcobani Mashiyi Municipal Manager
Chris Hani District Municipality

STRONG WINDS CAUSING HAVOC IN SOME PARTS OF THE DISTRICT

Strong winds that are currently ravaging the Chris Hani District since Wednesday have affected several wards in different local areas, causing extensive damages in some homesteads.
Our disaster management team is conducting assessment across the district to determine the exact number of households affected and extent of damages
So far Engcobo Local Municipality has recorded Wards 9,12 and 14, EMalahleni Local Municipality Ward 6,9 and 12. More detail will be shared as work still continues.
Please contact our Customer Care Call Centre on 0800 100 100 to report incidents in your area.

Sharing a media statement from the department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs:

MEDIA STATEMENT
Wednesday, 8 July 2020
EC COGTA MEC HOLDS A SUCCESFUL VIRTUAL MEETING WITH MUNICIPALITIES, AUDITOR GENERAL AND SALGA
Eastern Cape MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Xolile Nqatha held a virtual special meeting with Executive Mayors and Municipal Managers of the Eastern Cape Municipalities; South African Local Government Association (SALGA); Provincial Treasury and the Auditor General of South Africa on Tuesday, 7 July 2020. The meeting was occasioned by the release of the consolidated 2018/19 Financial Year Municipal Audit Report by the Auditor General of South Africa.
The Auditor General report titled “Not much to go around, yet not the right hands at the till to reflect the state of financial management in local government” highlighted that there was a very weak accountability and consequent exposure to abuse of the public funds by municipalities.
MEC Nqatha expressed his unhappiness about the performance of the Eastern Cape municipalities and the disdain for the public funds. MEC Nqatha emphasised that it is the responsibility of all those in both political and administrative leadership of the municipalities to ensure that principles of good governance and sound financial management are adhered to.
He strongly condemned the barring of lines between those mandated with political leadership and those mandated with administration, and that the situation leads poor performance of the municipalities. He emphasised the need to professionalise government and ensuring that people focus on their roles as duly mandated by the Constitution of the Republic.
The Senqu Local Municipality is the only municipality in the province that received the clean audit. The leadership of Senqu LM shared their best practises with the rest of the municipalities including the importance of coherent political and administrative leadership to create conducive environment for good governance and efficient service to the people. The stable political environment and senior management echelon was the major contributor to their success including proper organisational planning that include projects in the preparation of annual financial statements from the beginning of the year, strong control environment that detect weaknesses on time and have preventative measure in place and taking corrective decisions.
The municipalities acknowledged their failures and pledged to improve their audit outcomes moving forward. The municipalities further requested that the Department of Cogta, Provincial Treasury and SALGA should enforce their support to the municipalities in order for them to get out of the red zone they are in.
The meeting acknowledged that some of the challenges facing the Eastern Cape municipalities are:
● Political instability
● Inadequate personnel in finance departments which has resulted to the use of consultants for financial reporting costing some municipalities more than R27 million.
● Unfunded budgets
● Lack of consequence management
● Non-functionality and at times deliberate weakening of the Municipal Public Accounts Committees (MPAC)
● Inopportune job evaluations amongst others.
The Provincial Treasury reported to the meeting that it has a plan in place to assist all municipalities that have received a disclaimer and adverse opinions and engagements with affected municipalities have already started. The aim of the plan by the Provincial Treasury which will be rolled out in collaboration with CoGTA and SALGA is to ensure that municipalities get out of the red-zone.
The Mayors and Municipal Managers of the eight disclaimed municipalities will sign the pledge with the MEC of COGTA committing to improve the audit outcomes and ensuring that audit action plans are adhered to. To this effect all municipalities will report monthly to both CoGTA and Provincial Treasury on the progress on audit action plans for effective support to be provided immediately where necessary. The support to the municipalities by CoGTA will be a targeted support focusing on the set of challenges facing each municipality.
The meeting underlined the importance of consequence management for wrongdoing regardless of the characters involved.
MEC Nqatha urged all stakeholders to emerge out of the meeting committing to turn the situation around. “We must commit and work to ensure that Local Government functions better, for it is the sphere close to the people. We must realise that, we have a responsibility to serve the people, to transform their livelihoods. Therefore, the province needs a joint effort by stakeholders in ensuring that good governance is adhered to for effective service of the people,” said MEC.
Issued by the Office of the MEC of CoGTA Eastern Cape.
For more information, please contact Mr Komisa on 066 381 8259 or Mr Ngam on 071 685 7981.