Service delivery was at the centre of North West Premier Professor Job Mokgoro’s meeting with the provincial leadership.
At the meeting on Thursday, Mokgoro who was sworn into office in June, told MECs, Mayors, Chairpersons of Boards, Heads of Department and Chief Executive Officers that the fragmented manner in which the government has tended to work should end.
“We are one government and if municipalities do not do well, we all have to take responsibility as government,” he said at the meeting held in Rustenburg.
The meeting also heard from the Coordinating Council which received a report on the outcome of Premier Mokgoro’s engagement with public servants across the province’s four districts.
“The issues raised revolve around the conditions of service of public servants and the need to assess the health of government buildings,” said the provincial government.
It further added that departments and municipalities would on a monthly basis submit progress reports on how they are resolving the issues raised by public servants.
At the meeting, the Coordinating Council updated municipalities on Section 100 100(1) (b) Constitutional Intervention and section 137 Municipal Finance Management Act Intervention.
The interventions placed eight municipalities which face several challenges under administration. Namely these municipalities are:
· Kagisano Molopo Local Municipality
· Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality
· Ditsobotla Local Municipality
· Kgetleng Rivier Local Municipality
· Maquasi Hills Local Municipality
· Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality
· Naledi Local Municipality
· Mahikeng Local Municipality
· The challenges faced by the municipalities include a lack of internal controls in place to prevent, detect and report unauthorized, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure; poor revenue collection which impacts on the ability to pay creditors (such as water boards and Eskom) on time and a lack of administrative capacity due to high vacancy levels.