Mooi-uMngeni Constituency

Nestled in the scenic hills and heart of the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands, lies the Mooi-uMngeni Constituency. Made up of three municipalities: Mooi-Mpofana, uMngeni and Impendle.

The DA is well-represented in the area and our public representatives are working to ensure that residents receive services. In Mooi-Mpofana we currently have one public representative. In uMngeni we currently have ten public representatives. To contact your local representative please click here. We have been working extremely hard over the past two decades to increase our representation in uMngeni and are now only 9% away from being able to be the first DA-run municipality in KZN. This will allow us to showcase our capabilities as a party of government and to turn uMngeni around for the better.

We have a good track record and we have a plan to get the municipality back on its feet by delivering quality service to all residents. But we can only put this plan into action if we win in 2021. With your support, this is a real possibility. In Mooi-Mpofana we have seen consistent growth and are on the verge of winning our first ward (Ward 2).

We are aiming to grow in Mooi-Mpofana and strengthen the opposition in that council. We cannot do it all on our own and need your support. Click here to get involved, donate or sign up as a member. One of our representatives will be in touch.

What we do

Some of the issues we are fighting for include:

Hilton waste and recycling

Cllr. Pam Passmoor (ward 7) and Cllr. Craig Millar (ward 6) have submitted a petition with more than 500 signatures to the uMngeni Municipality. The petition calls on the Municipality to implement a proper waste management plan as well as municipal recyling programme. A DA-run uMngeni would implement a kerbside recycling programme and work to ensure that waste is collected regularly and efficiently.

 

Remove the Municipal Manager

In 2019 it was revealed that the uMngeni Municipal Manger, Thandeka Cibane, failed the majority of the categories in her HR assessment which were conducted by a private company. This was covered up by the Mayor and Deputy Mayor who withheld this information from a full council meeting.

The DA is calling for her dismissal and has submitted more than 1300 signatures from residents in support of this call. We are also in communication with the Provincial Department of Cooperative Governance to have the Municipal Manager removed.

Since Thandeka Cibane took office the audit outcomes in uMngeni have been dismal and the quality of services has been declining. For this reason, and those mentioned earlier, the DA believes that Thandeka Cibane MUST GO!

War on potholes

Road infrastructure across the uMngeni Municipality is in a terrible state. Potholes, crumbling roads and poorly maintained infrastructure are evident on almost every road in the Municipality.

The DA is calling for the Municipality to cut wasteful expenditure and double the road maintenance budget. Urgent repair and maintenance work must commence.

Sign the petition here.

Mpofana provincial roads

A number of provincial and district roads in Mpofana are in disrepair or have been poorly maintained. The DA in Mooi-Mpoafna is engaging with various government departments to try and resolve some of these issues. Through the district and provincial departments of Transport the DA in Mooi-Mpofana aims to improve road safety in the area. The poor quality roads are not only affecting road safety but a number of businesses have been adversely affected.

Sign the petition here.

uMngeni economic recovery plan

The disastrous ANC lockdown crisis has forced many businesses to close and thousands of jobs have been lost. The DA in the Mpofana, uMngeni, and Impendle area has put forward a number of proposals aimed at assisting formal and informal businesses to recover and grow.

These include (but are not limited to):

  • Providing rates relief to businesses and residents.
  • Cutting wasteful expenditure on items such as security and focusing the savings on basic services.
  • Providing incentives for key sectors such as tourism, agriculture, and the informal sector.
  • Municipal spending that prioritises local businesses.
  • Scrapping B-BBEE requirements for municipal contracts.
  • Opening up the tender process to the public.

Tourism and our restaurant industry have been severely affected with many establishment owners retrenching or closing their doors completely. This is disastrous for an area such as ours. The DA has written to the various ministers responsible and will take legal action should we not receive a favourable response.

Covid-19 and the unreasonable lockdown restrictions have dealt our local and national economy a devastating blow. However, the DA has a plan that prioritises small businesses, infrastructure investment and getting the basics right.

Visit www.da.org.za/defeatingcoronavirus for more information on our Covid-19 response.

Women's month

The DA in the Mooi-uMngeni Constituency is shocked by the latest crime statistics and noted the high number of crimes against women (2019/2020). We have started a fund-raising campaign to assist women living in high-risk communities with pocket-sized pepper sprays. We hope to make it safe for women to travel and live in areas where their lives are at risk.

We will be communicating with local, provincial, and national SAPS structures to boost safety on our communities.

UMngeni War on Potholes Campaign gathers momentum

The campaign to get the uMngeni Municipality to act on the deteriorating sate of roads has intensified. DA councillors, DA activists and civic bodies have started to paint around the thousands of potholes that exist in the municipality. This serves a double purpose. It is to assist motorists to see the dangerous hole before it is too late as well as to highlight the scale of the problem.

DA opens case with Public Protector – Janis Holmes

Today I laid an official complaint against uMngeni’s municipal manager (MM) with the Public Protector for not responding to a Public Access to Information Act application to see the contract between uMngeni and Thabzo Security.

“The Promotion of Access to Information Act 2 of 2000, (PAIA) gives effect to section 32 of the Constitution, which provides that everyone has the right to access information held by the State”

The reason for the the application was that questions asked by the DA at committee and council level in uMngeni regarding security costs, which have increased from R3,6 million in the 2015/2016 financial year to R18,7 million in the 2020/2021 financial year, have remained unanswered. We are often told that such information is confidential and it would be “councillor interference” if we were to see such reports. How can it be “councillor interference” to ask to see a contract between the municipality and a municipal service provider when that contract relates to public funds being used for the protection of public assets?  This should not be confidential or controversial.

The PAIA application was sent to the uMngeni MM on the 26th of August. Read receipts were requested and her PA saw the application on the 2nd of September. No other read receipts were confirmed showing that MM did not even open a priority email directed at her nor the two follow up emails that were sent as reminders that she needed to respond to the application.

Did you know that in July 2020 uMngeni spent R19,867 on hot mix asphalt to fix potholes and R1 564,037 on security?

Did you know that even though management can’t explain the high costs of our current security contract they want MORE security because of “increases in crime” on municipal property?

Did you know that DA run municipalities take transparency to heart and publish information relating to public spending without being forced to do so by PAIA applications and complaints to higher structures?

Do you think it’s time for the DA to govern in uMngeni?

Oversight visit to Howick West

The ongoing water problems in Howick West prompted the DA to conduct an oversight visit to the area. After several stops and after speaking with many local residents the DA will be taking a number of issues up with the District Municipality.

🎬Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY9MTEfwBt4

Merrivale Industrial Oversight visit

On Wednesday 16th September DA representatives from local, Provincial and national government spent time in the Merrivale Industrial area.

The inspection was sparked by increasing complaints by businesses in the area who have raised concerns around the deteriorating quality of roads and other infrastructure such as sanitisation, street lights and electricity.

Infrastructure is vital for industries to operate. Merrivale Industrial is a crucial area of economic activity and employment for uMngeni.

A DA led uMngeni would: 🗳️

💵 Double the roads maintenance budget

📈 Create stakeholders forums to meet regularly and advise the municipality

🚂 Apply for the establishment of a special industrial development zone

🤝 Encourage investment through rates and utilities incentives

🏗️ Utilse various national and Provincial infrastructure grants to improve the capacity and quality of infrastructure

👨🏾‍🔧👩🏻‍🔧 Roll out skills development and training programmes: especially for young people

PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

We care

The primary work of the DA is to fight for your political and civic rights. However, the DA is a caring party and we accept that we have a responsibility to assist those in need where resources allow. Through the generous donations received from the Midlands community, we have initiated a number of projects that aim to assist our vulnerable community members.

Newsletter

Edition 1: https://bit.ly/MooiUMngeniOnlineE1

Edition 2: https://bit.ly/MooiUMngeniOnlineE2

Edition 3: https://bit.ly/MooiUMngeniOnlineE3

Edition 4: https://bit.ly/MooiUMngeniOnlineE4

Edition 5 (Print version): https://bit.ly/MooiUMngeniPrintE2

Izindaba edition 1: https://bit.ly/IzindabaZomphakhathi1

UMngeni ward 3 and 4 (2): http://bit.ly/Ward3and4

Members newsletter (Nov/2020): https://bit.ly/3l52L1r

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