DOLPHIN COAST RESIDENTS & RATEPAYERS ASSOCIATION
DOCRRA Chairman, Deon Viljoen, has compiled and is sharing his comments on the Draft Annual Report of the KwaDukuza Municipality (KDM) for the 2020/2021 Financial Year.
DOCRRA has considered the 497-page report and is pleased to note that there is a great improvement in the presentation this year with less grammatical errors, a uniform font and margins, and a better flow. Although DOCRRA represents the Dolphin Coast Community, most of the comments made have relevance for the larger KwaDukuza Community as well.
DOCRRA has not analysed reports on Youth Development, SSME Development, Sport Development, Education and Training, Agriculture Support and several other KDM functions that do not in particular pertain to the Dolphin Coast Community. We leave that to other community structures representing those communities where these are more relevant.
The Good
There is a good improvement in the overall performance of KDM, from a paltry 47% in the previous year to 68% in 2021. Remarkably, the collection of electricity, rates and refuse charges are sitting in the mid to high 90th percentile. KDM is financially viable, liquid and achieved another clean audit, albeit with findings. Assets have increased to just under R3 Billion, with cash reserves growing by some R200M to just under R900M.
Outstanding debtors have decreased by 9% and several long-standing legal cases have been resolved – mostly in favour of KDM. The delivery of basic services increased by 9% on 2020, to 56%. This is the second year of increases in this category and a clear sign that constant pressure from residents and ratepayers is working.
There has been marked improvement on safety and security measures and the number of incidents for the reporting period.
The annual report is transparent and frank. KDM seems fully aware where their challenges lie and there are plans for nearly each of these challenges, underpinned by forums and committees and stated commitments to mitigate and remedy them.
The Bad
Underspending of both operational and capital budgets has become a trend spanning several years. The operational budget is underspent by 19% and the capital budget by 33%. This is how the surpluses are made (overbudgeting and underspending) and explains poor service delivery.
The satisfaction survey on the performance of KDM has been delayed, again.
There are still too many vacancies, especially in key functional areas, and the IT systems are either inadequate or not properly implemented. Procurement processes are also compromised and another reason for tardy service delivery. Furthermore, overtime management is a big issue requiring improvement.
Irregular expenditure and the consequence management thereof, remains an alarming concern.
Non-performance on main risk issues such as storm water management, waste management and the management of service level agreements, are unacceptable.
The speed and accuracy of building plan approvals has improved but still leaves much to be achieved.
Local economic development is inadequate, particularly in the tourism sector.
KDM recognises their legal (and moral) obligation to work with their representative communities, yet engagement and response from KDM remains slow, and actual participation with communities is also inadequate.
The Ugly
The frequently mentioned lack of performance management (despite a system being in place), coupled with no consequence management, remains the single biggest problem at KDM. This has and continues to be underpinned by DOCRRA at the MPAC forums and the different audit committees. Oversight and audit functions are under-resourced and not delivering. KDM leadership recognises this problem and plans are in progress but are yet to bear fruit.
Electricity theft now exceeds 20% of electricity bought. In addition, maintenance spending on electricity systems is still at around 50% of what is recommended. Streetlights, electricity distribution and reliability issues are recognised by KDM and remain a major concern for all.
Inadequate land use planning, together with the poor performance on housing provision for those in need, are also a major issue for the Dolphin Coast.
Conclusion
There is a good improvement on both the presentation and substance of the draft KDM annual report. Although it comes off a very low base in 2019/2020, it proves that sustained involvement, engagement and influence by DOCRRA and other structures is being heard and recognised.
DOCRRA is already positioned to play a meaningful role on MPAC, IDPRF, Ward committees and the other structures, to ensure the Dolphin Coast community’s voice is heard. Our commitment to maintaining the delicate balance of a tougher (such as that of OUTA/AG/SIU/HAWKS) and softer collaborative and participative approach is working. With new political leadership in Council, and hopefully new executive management soon in combination with more participation with community organisations, the dream of KwaDukuza becoming a city could become a real goal.
DOCRRA remains committed to support the Dolphin Coast community by sharing relevant information, giving access for input and opinions, and exerting the influence of the Dolphin Coast community on KDM in particular.
We will continue to promote and protect the interests of all residents and ratepayers within the jurisdiction of the Dolphin Coast area. However, the more community representation and support we have, the more influence we have. Therefore, we urge you to become a member of DOCRRA.
If you are not a member of DOCRRA and would like to join DOCRRA and to be able to access these facilities, please visit https://docrra.co.za/membership/#registration today.
The fees fund our efforts in tackling issues on behalf of the Dolphin Coast community – like engaging a legal team to advise our members with regards to property re-valuations. Please join us today – your contribution goes a long way to assisting our community and protecting the rights of our community.
If you require more information, please contact us on admin@docrra.co.za
To access the Draft Annual Report, please visit
https://docrra.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/KDM-2020-2021-Annual-Report-DRAFT-15-1.pdf .
