Troubled ADM has now turned the corner, says mayor

Amathole District Municipality mayor Anele Ntsangani used the occasion of his state of the district address (Soda) on Friday to highlight significant changes in the ailing district since he came into office in 2022. Ntsangani said they were now on a mission to take ADM to greater heights, after they inherited a rather dysfunctional municipality when he took over the reins. “It is common knowledge that we inherited a municipality that had serious challenges of governance and service delivery.

“I am, however, proud to announce without any hesitation that we have a good story to tell, as we have made significant achievements in taking the municipality to greater heights,” he said. On Friday, Ntsangani delivered his last state of the district address of the current term of governance at the Mzwandile Wilson Fanti Hall in Stutterheim. He told the gathering that his once ailing district municipality, which had been placed under Section 139 intervention in 2021 by the provincial government for failing to fulfil its executive financial obligations, had now turned the corner.

Among those present, were representatives from the six local municipalities under ADM jurisdiction, the South African Local Government Association (Salga), traditional leadership and representatives from Amatola Water, among other stakeholders and members of the public. Ntsangani took over after the ousting of then mayor Nceba Ndikinda, who was axed by the ANC together with council speaker Nondumiso Mgidlana and chief whip Nonceba Mfecane, amid allegations of defiance and bringing the party into disrepute. “When we were ushered in as a new leadership of the municipality in August 2022, the employee morale was very low,” he said.

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“Workers were on strike and as a result water was not supplied to most communities, resulting in community protests. “We were summoned by the SA Human Rights Commission to account for violating the basic human right that is access to clean water. “Systems were at a standstill as ICT was also sabotaged.”

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