ANOTHER FEATHER IN OUR CAP!

- Overstrand Municipality ranked 3rd among SA's best run municipalities -

Overstrand Municipality has added another feather to its cap after being ranked third among the best run municipalities in South Africa, for good finance management and its impact on service delivery.

According to the latest Municipal Financial Stability Index report, the Western Cape is the highest scoring province in the country.

The top municipalities in the Western Cape, are:

1. Mossel Bay

2. Saldanha Bay

3. Overstrand

3. Swartland

The index is based on municipalities' operating performance, liquidity management, debt governance, budget practices, affordability and infrastructure development for the financial year ended June 2020.

Ratings Afrika defines financial stability for municipalities as “the financial ability to deliver services and develop and maintain the infrastructure required by its residents without unplanned increases in rates and taxes or reduction in services.”

In a media statement Anton Bredell, the Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning in the Western Cape, says the Western Cape scored an average rate of 53 out of 100 across its 30 municipalities. This is the highest in the country.

“The second highest scoring province was KwaZulu-Natal with 39 and in third place was the Northern Cape with 33. The report looks at how municipalities manage their money, and how this impacts service delivery in their areas.”

Bredell says most municipalities in the province fared well and scored above 50 with a few exceptions only.

“The worst performing municipality in the Western Cape according to this report is Beaufort West which scored 18 out of 100. My department continues to work hard with all the municipalities that are not faring as well as we’d hope and we aim to continue to improve the situation in those areas. For now, we want to celebrate the results and congratulate all our councils who have fared well.”

Bredell says independent reports are critical weathervanes indicating the ability of a municipality to provide services and a better life to the people in its communities.

“It doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges in those municipalities. We do not live in a perfect world. There are many challenges and the triple impact of poverty, unemployment and inequality remains a massive issue. In the Western Cape we continue to see massive population growth, driven in a large part by ongoing inwards migration towards the province. We also see continued urbanisation that is placing strain on larger councils. However, reports like these show councils continue to perform despite the challenges. It also shows the public that their money is being well managed and not stolen or wasted.”