CHRIS HANI DISTRICT MUNICIPALITY Recognised for best performance on Capital Grant Expenditure

Executive Mayor: Cllr Wongama Gela

In what is a boost for infrastructure development, Chris Hani District Municipality has made remarkable progress on its grant spending for the 2022/23 financial year which has significantly improved when compared to previous financial years. This performance has also earned the district municipality recognition from the National Treasury which has recently issued a government gazette dated 29 March 2023. The gazette lists CHDM as one of the best-performing municipalities in the Province for spending its full allocation (100%) of Municipal Infrastructure Grant with a record of 85% overall grant expenditure thus far.

The gazette which provides information regarding the adjustment of allocations

to municipalities pronounces municipalities that have reported significant underperformance and non-compliance against conditional grants frameworks. The stopping and re-allocation process provides that municipalities that are showing improved performance could be considered for additional funding and the ones that are underperforming could have their funds stopped in the current year.

CHDM has thus been considered for an additional allocation of about R220m for Regional Bulk; R95m Infrastructure Grant; R120m Municipal Infrastructure Grant; R5.2m Water Services Infrastructure Grant; and R650 000 Rural Roads Asset Management System Grant. The additional allocation will bring muchneeded relief to the CHDM community and add further meaning to the district developmental agenda. The funding will therefore be directed towards improving service delivery within the district and prioritising historical infrastructure backlog and aged infrastructure that the district has been confronted with over the years.

During the past financial year, the district municipality closely monitored its expenditure patterns and revisited

its plans and strategies with a particular focus on bulk water and sanitation infrastructure development across the district.

CHDM Executive Mayor, Cllr Wongama Gela welcomed the pronouncement saying, “Indeed, Chris Hani District Municipality prides itself on the spending on conditional Grants allocated to the municipality to construct water and sanitation infrastructure, reticulation, sanitation services and rural roads assets maintenance. This move will boost the municipal efforts to render water and sanitation services, to improve the quality of lives of the ordinary people of the district in the current Financial year 2022/23 financial.”

The district municipality has already put together an action plan which will see to the implementation of the following:

1. Completion of projects that had financial constraints

2. Bringing forward some of the projects that could not be implemented in the current financial year

3. Address sanitation related directives issued by the Department of Water and Sanitation

4. Address recurrent water interruptions and,

5. Conduct assessment of the conditions of our rural roads and provide Local Municipalities with information that will assist their planning.