By Akani Nkuna
The Merafong City Local Municipality and the Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) have developed a 10-point turnaround strategy to address service delivery challenges and unlock the municipality’s economic potential.
This follows a high-level bilateral meeting on Tuesday, led by Gauteng CoGTA MEC Jacob Mamabolo, where officials discussed future solutions and reaffirmed their commitment to sustainable change.
“The leadership of Merafong tabled a comprehensive update on the state of the municipality, together with key interventions, successes and ongoing challenges,” said Gauteng CoGTA spokesperson Admire Ndaba in a joint statement on Wednesday.
“CoGTA, in line with the Municipal Systems Act, MFMA, and Disaster Management Act, will assist Merafong by prioritising urgent infrastructure repairs, especially in sinkhole-prone and service-delivery-critical areas.”
Support will include implementing smart meters to reduce losses, improving cash flow, refining the municipal turnaround strategy, and ensuring proper indigent management.
Ndaba said these interventions will be crystallised into a 10-point plan focusing on:
- Water Security – Engaging Rand Water to address supply constraints, reduce non-revenue water losses, and improve infrastructure efficiency.
- Revenue Generation and Financial Recovery – Developing a joint plan to improve revenue collection for better service delivery and long-term financial sustainability.
- Building a Smart and Sustainable Economy – Exploring opportunities to build a green, smart economy and attract investors.
- Improved Communication and Stakeholder Engagement – Strengthening collaboration with community structures, businesses, and other government departments to ensure timely payments and coordinated service delivery.
- Sinkhole Management – Implementing strategic initiatives to rehabilitate sinkhole-prone areas, safeguard infrastructure, and host a roundtable with academics, the Council for Geoscience, Tshwane, and community stakeholders for long-term solutions.
- By-law Enforcement and Public Safety – Strengthening law enforcement and public safety through partnerships with relevant agencies.
- Improved Human Resources – Finalising the municipality’s organisational structure.
- Sustained and Improved Audit Outcomes – Targeting stronger audit results in the next cycle.
- Smart Metering – Rolling out smart meters to improve infrastructure efficiency and revenue management.
- Strengthening Intergovernmental Relations – Enhancing cooperation between spheres of government, including on financial matters.
Mamabolo, on the other hand, stressed the importance of cohesion across all spheres of government to improve service delivery, noting that the initiative is aligned with the Gauteng Premier’s directive for municipalities to enhance infrastructure development while fostering financial accountability.
“In line with Premier Lesufi’s directive, we remain firmly committed to addressing the 13+1 critical challenges in our municipalities and province. Our focus is on ensuring practical solutions, coordinated action, and measurable progress so that communities experience real change, while strengthening the Local Government Turnaround Strategy to embed sustainable governance improvements,” said Mamabolo.
Merafong mayor Nozuko Best described the turnaround strategy as critical in tackling service delivery issues that threaten the municipality’s future.
“Today’s discussions were not just about fixing problems, but about building the Merafong City of the future. By combining crisis response with bold economic reimagination, we are setting the foundation for the next vision as espoused in the municipality’s Vision2035,” said Best.
“We are ready to work together with CoGTA, our stakeholders and our residents to turn Merafong into the smartest green economy in Gauteng. The future starts now.”
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