OKHAHLAMBA LOCAL MUNICIPALITY

Navigating challenges, embracing opportunities: showing resilience and adaptability

This is a story of resilience. This is a story of consistency and success. This is a story we are proud to tell.

The previous council term laid a solid foundation to build upon. The council hit the ground running in 2021 to continue the positive momentum that was left by their predecessors. They have not stopped since then despite the challenges that are brought about through coalition governing.

The past few years saw the initiation of key infrastructure projects, among them the construction of various rural access roads, housing projects, electrification projects, market stalls, and a light industrial hub project that contributes towards improving the lives of our citizens.

Apart from our infrastructure development focus, our municipality is people-centric. A key priority for us is to develop as well as enhance and maintain relationships with our communities and our key stakeholders.

As a municipality, our main priority is service delivery that improves the lives of the people in our communities.

BUILDING A BETTER COMMUNITY

As a municipality, our main priority is service delivery that improves the lives of the people in our communities. The municipality has made many strides in addressing service delivery backlogs and infrastructure development; this includes, among others, the Community Service Centre, which aims to bring government services closer to our citizens. Previously, citizens had to travel to neighbouring towns for basic government services and information.

We understand that foundation phase education is integral to transforming our society and as a result, we have constructed many early childhood development centres and community halls. We have several housing projects across various wards in our municipality and have successfully rehabilitated our two main towns: Bergville and Winterton.

Being a rural municipality, we realise that our communities are in dire need of proper access roads. We have committed ourselves to improving access roads within all wards through a comprehensive approach over the next few financial years. The 10 Days Per Ward Programme aims to improve the condition of access roads within all our wards.

One of our core projects currently is the construction of the light industrial hub. The overall aim is to develop and transform the informal sector into a sustainable economic practice and to improve the CBD by providing a safe space for informal traders to trade from.

In 2013, the municipality identified several challenges facing the informal sector. At the time, the municipality proposed a concept of housing the light industrial sector under one common structure.

In 2021, the municipality partnered with private fundraisers and successfully sourced investments from the Department of Small Business Development and KZN - COGTA.

An amount of R10.8 million was successfully sourced from the National Department of Small Business Development under SEIF funding program for Phase 1 and a further R10.9 million was sourced from the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Cooperative Governance under Small Town Rehabilitation Program.

Construction is expected to be completed in late 2023. Through this project the municipality hopes to transform the town of Bergville by stimulating economic growth and creating more jobs.

THE SOCIAL IMPACT

The municipality leads a number of programmes and campaigns aimed at improving the socio- economic conditions and the lives of the local community. These are often done in partnership with government departments and through publicprivate partnerships.

The importance of forging and maintaining public-private partnerships cannot be overstated and the municipality is committed to building and strengthening these relationships. These partnerships foster synergy between different sectors, amplifying our collective capacity to bring about positive change.

The Youth Office, the Operation Sukuma Sakhe Office and the Local Economic Development (LED) Office have hosted a number of trainings and dialogues. These include youth summits, workshops on job readiness, women empowerment initiatives, crafter workshops, and small business owner trainings.

Through our LED Office, the municipality initiated the Insangu (cannabis) yaOkhahlamba Project. The primary purpose of this pilot project is to establish the Okhahlamba area as the centre of Insangu cultivation, processing and manufacture in South Africa in a manner that provides medicine security and facilitates socioeconomic development locally.

Overall, the project is expected to create approximately 150 jobs at the peak of the project. It’s a multi-party stakeholder project that includes the municipality, the three traditional authorities in the municipality, the Department of Agriculture, Druids Garden, African Cultural Heritage Trust, and other provincial entities.

The project is a community-based project driven by the municipality and Hectare Capital & Partners, who are responsible for the project management, implementation and fundraising of the project.

The Phezukomkhono Ward-Based Agricultural Development Programme is another initiative of our LED Office.

The focus of this project is on cultivating maize crops for sustainable livelihoods in all municipal wards. The initiative is implemented in partnership with the local Department of Agriculture who assist in providing seedlings to the cooperatives.

The LED Office also promotes tourism in the municipality and have successfully hosted a number of media house tours, attended local trade shows and exhibitions; and also provides support to the local tourism sector. The municipality has forged strong partnerships with the media, the tourism CTO, the KZN Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, and the National Department of Tourism. Through a joint initiative with the National Department of Tourism, service excellence was workshopped to tourism establishments, local businesses and stakeholders over a six-month period earlier this year.

In partnership with multiple stakeholders, the municipality has successfully hosted several editions of the Drakensberg Extravaganza experience. The extravaganza has become an annual event that attracts scores of people from various provinces across the country. This initiative provides mentorship to young artists in the music industry, a platform to showcase upcoming designers in the fashion industry, promotes a healthy lifestyle and instils a culture of athletics through the marathon, water sporting activities and cycling. The extravaganza also plays an important role in promoting talent and alleviating social ills affecting the community.

The municipality is in a remote location and is very prone to disasters, particularly natural disasters such as heavy storms, veld fires and tornadoes. As a result, the Okhahlamba Fire and Emergency Services and Disaster Management Unit has become central in managing disasters within the municipality. Some of the services that the unit offers includes providing emergency medical services, search and rescue operations for lost hikers, assistance in incidences of drowning, and firefighting. The positive impact of the Fire and Emergency Services and Disaster Management Unit within the municipality is undeniable.

A key unit in the municipality is the Traffic Department. The Traffic Department contributes significantly to the municipality’s revenue. The turnaround time for booking a learners licence or driver’s licence test is less than a week. The community response to the services at the Traffic Department has been very positive to such an extent that the department attracts clients from neighbouring towns. We are proud of the success that the department has achieved and aim to grow our services to greater heights in the coming years.

CREATING AN ENVIRONMENT FOR SUCCESS

The municipality plays an integral role in contributing towards skills development within Okhahlamba. This is done through a number of apprenticeships, learnerships and skills development programmes.

Our municipality encourages and nurtures a culture of pursuing education. Several employees have made use of the municipal bursary scheme to advance their education. They embark on these educational pursuits while continuing their selfless service as employees of the municipality and their commitment to ensuring the success of our organisation must be commended.

Within the municipality, a strategic shift towards building internal capacity has proven to be a game-changer. By focusing on developing and nurturing talent from within, the municipality has significantly reduced its dependency on external consultants, resulting in substantial cost savings. This approach not only safeguards the financial health of the municipality but also empowers its workforce by providing opportunities for skill development and career growth. As staff members take on new responsibilities and acquire specialised knowledge, the organisation benefits from their enhanced expertise, fostering a culture of self-sufficiency and innovation. The ripple effect of this transition is palpable, with a community of dedicated professionals driving the municipality towards a future of fiscal prudence and sustainable development.

In our quest for excellence in management and best practices, our organisation adheres to a structured and proactive approach to governance. We hold weekly management meetings (sometimes referred to as audit readiness meetings) that serve as a cornerstone for collaboration and decision-making. These sessions provide a platform for department heads to align strategies, share insights, and address operational challenges in real-time. Additionally, our troika meetings, conducted weekly as well, bring together top executives to assess our organization's strategic direction, ensuring that our objectives remain on course.

To maintain transparency and accountability, we conduct monthly portfolio committee meetings, where in-depth discussions on specific aspects of our projects and initiatives take place. Our executive team convenes for monthly exco meetings, where strategic decisions are reviewed, refined, and approved. Furthermore, our council meetings, held monthly, as well our regular public participation engagements, offer a comprehensive overview of organisational progress, fostering a shared sense of responsibility among all stakeholders.

Every quarter, we prioritise risk management and audit committee meetings to comprehensively evaluate our risk landscape and ensure the highest standards of financial integrity. These structured and regular interactions empower us to continually improve our management practices, drive innovation, and maintain a steadfast commitment to excellence in all facets of our organisation's operation.

The measures we put in place to improve governance have seen the municipality achieve eight consecutive clean audits from the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA). A lot of work has been put in place to ensure that the entity continues to excel. Council has strengthened internal controls through the annual revision of existing policies and controls and implementing proper risk management through the Risk Management Unit, which is tasked to identify internal system gaps which pose a risk and therefore develop mitigating factors. The Internal Audit Unit is fully functional and continues to ensure that all measures of compliance, particularly in procurement and Human Resources, are adhered to.

We are a municipality that has developed a culture that embodies a commitment to the implementation of a clean administration driven by good governance. This has proven to be a successful formula in achieving and maintaining favourable audit outcomes from the AG.

The council and administration work in synergy towards transforming the lives of our people by implementing practices of good governance, integrity, honesty and transparency, as well as maintaining a financially viable organisation that delivers on its promises of quality service delivery to all the people who reside within Okhahlamba.

We have come a long way from where we started; we are proud of what we have achieved and are mindful that we still have a long journey ahead of us.