Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning
Question by:
Hon Tertuis Simmers
Answered by:
Hon Anton Bredell
Question Number:
2
Question Body:
With reference to the 2016/17 audit cycle during which four municipalities did not have a plan with specific time frames and targets for the maintenance of water infrastructure:
- What are the names of these identified municipalities;
- whether his Department is aware if these municipalities have initiated processes to address these two sortcomings in their maintenance plans; if not, why not; if so; what are the relevant details?
Answer Body:
-
- The four (4) municipalities identified are:
- George
- Hessequa
- Beaufort West
- Oudtshoorn
-
- All municipalities in the Western Cape have Asset Management Plans which are audited by the Auditor General as part of the annual auditing process. In addition, all municipalities must incorporate Water Service Development Plans as part of their Integrated Development Plans which informs the budget. These high level plans focus on infrastructure needs for the medium and longer terms, but also includes aspects of maintenance and refurbishment.
Although the overarching asset management plans are in place and used to inform municipal Integrated Development Plans and Budgets, financial and
human resource capacity constraints hamper the implementation of adequate preventive maintenance. To this end, the capacity made available by the department in the form of drought engineers and geohydrologists strengthen low capacity municipalities through technical advisory services and skills transfer. The Department has also deployed an engineer to Kannaland Municipality.
Date:
Friday, June 22, 2018
