The budget is due to be implemented on Sunday 1 July.
It was also decided during the session that Tinus Ras, DA councillor, will be serving as the new member of the executive council — the same position that Kobus van der Merwe, previous DA councillor who resigned, once held.
Jeremia Ngobeni, mayor, said during his speech that even though 24 years have passed since democracy, people are becoming more and more impatient with the slow pace at which the government are righting the wrongs of the past.
The issues mentioned during the roadshow where officials met with the public to discuss the budget, are currently being addressed and he hopes that the new budget will do the community justice for the coming 2018/2019 financial year.
Electricity, however, was raised by 6,8%, water by 11,2% and other services by 5,3% for the next financial year.
He further said that the customer care centre at the municipality will definitely be improved and will be branched out to the multipurpose centre in the township.
One of the items in council’s report stated that residents who experienced municipal problems after hours and had called the municipality’s client service, did not receive the necessary help and municipal officials did not even answer the telephone at times. Council decided that this was unacceptable and will have to be addressed.
In order for the budget to come in full affect, debt collection must become a priority, said Ras.
Joseph Makhubela, Bushbuckridge association councillor, said if community members are charged for services and are forced to pay, councillors are not exempt from not paying debt owed to the municipality.
Petrus Aphane, ANC councillor and head of the financial committee, said it was earlier adopted that every resident, that includes municipal officials, are subject to the credit control policy.
Henriëtta Ledwaba, ANC chief whip of council, said a resolution was taken that payments by councillors are to happen on a monthly basis.
Ras raised the issue that litigation may become the municipality’s downfall, should they fall behind on paying service providers such as Eskom. At this time the municipality owes Eskom R11 million, according to him.
Previous service providers, Dikala Plant Hire and Fawcett Security are still battling it out in the high court arguing that their contracts were cancelled incorrectly and are expecting payment for services rendered to the municipality that are worth millions of rands.
The municipality lodged appeals against these cases.
Ras suggested that the municipality should make immediate arrangements to prevent disaster.
Zachariah Moeletsi, speaker, said the matter will be discussed with the corporate and legal department of the municipality.
He further said that the municipality is aiming for a clean audit and even though it will “make them unpopular”, the legal route will be considered for every ratepayer who refuses to pay for municipal services.
It was also mentioned earlier by the municipality that the policy where outstanding municipal debt will be written off (50%) will come to an end at the beginning of July.
Freddy Hlungwane, ANC councillor, said it is in the interest of the community that they be told of the strides that the municipality has made up to date, and that the municipality is there to better the lives of community members in a fair, effective and accountable manner.
