Modimolle-Mookgophong Local Municipality Strategic Planning Session 2025, Euphoria Golf & Lifestyle Estate.
OPENING ADDRESS BY HONOURABLE MAYOR SECHELE SEBOLAI
Modimolle-Mookgophong Local Municipality Strategic Planning Session
Executive Mayor of the Waterberg District Municipality
Speaker of council, Cllr Langa
Chief Whip, Cllr Dayimane
Honourable Councillors,
Municipal Manager and his team
Representatives of Provincial and National Governments
Representatives of the State-Owned Agencies (Provincial and National)
Representatives of Business Community
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thobela, Matsheroni, Avuxeni, Good Morning, Goeie More!!
It is with great pride and a profound sense of responsibility that I welcome you to the 2025/ 2026 Strategic Planning Session of the Modimolle-Mookgophong Local Municipality, held today (Monday 24th February 2025) until Wednesday, 26th February 2025.
We gather here today not merely as officials and stakeholders but as the custodians of service delivery, economic growth, and development for the people of Modimolle-Mookgophong.
As it is commonly known, the local government strategic planning sessions are in response to Municipal Systems Act, Act No. 32 of 2006, Chapter 4, 5, and 6 which urges the Municipalities to “prepare and implement the Integrated Development Plan, “align the resources to support the implementation, monitor and review performance at least once per year”. This session is meant to amongst others, serve this legislative imperative.
The terms of reference for this session include the following:
- To review Performance of Modimolle-Mookgopong Local Municipality for the financial year 2023/2024
- To do Mid-term performance review Municipality for the current financial year, 2024/ 2025
- To review the vision, mission and values of the Municipality to ensure alignment, and
- To prepare the 2025/ 2026 Annual Performance Plan that would guide Municipal budgeting and recourse allocation.
As we embark on this crucial session, let us be guided by our vision, which is: “To be the Limpopo’s leading municipality in reliable service delivery and sustainable economic growth”.
It is important to note that our vision is not just a statement of aspiration, but a call to action for all of us to pursue its attainment. It is guiding campus. Furthermore, it is at this session, that, should we find the vision and mission irrelevant, we are at right space to current and align to our aspirations. However, where the vision is found to be the correct guiding campus, we should then adopt and work as a collective to its attainment.
Strategic planning sessions by nature are meant to confront the challenges and problems that impedes service delivery, be they internal or external challenges. We should make it our aim to address these challenges and bring out amicable solutions to smoothen the path towards effective service delivery.
As we can all recall, South Africa was bewildered by the Food borne disease which was declared a national-by-national government. This problem was more manifest at Local Government where there’s prevalence of spaza businesses and informal trading. The assessment done by the joint team of Provincial and National government, working with the Municipality, found that almost 90% of Spaza Shops in our townships are illegal and non-compliant with our Building regulations, Occupational Health Safety and business licences amongst other offences.
This session should ensure that relevant departments take pro-active corrective measures to remedy the situation, if business closure is an option, such a resolution must be taken. We are all aware that spaza shops have been given until end of this week, to comply, failing which, they endure the consequences. Our session must, amongst other things, resolve to support the national government directives to addressing this challenge.
Climate Change is another evolving challenge facing our communities today, it is draught is one year and floods in another, a good indication that our ecological system is disturbed. This is a sign a Climate Change problem.
Modimolle-Mookgopong Local Municipality 2025/ 2026 Strategic Planning Session must be decisive and make resolutions that will assure our community towards Climate Change mitigation and adaptation mechanisms. South Africa is a sun-dense region where options of Solar Energy can easily relinquish the burden of Climate Energy, especially where energy is concerned.
The Municipality must also go back to the basics, revive the anti-dumping and no littering practices in the communities in order to avoid Air, Water and Soil pollution which also contribute to Climate Change. The communities must be taught and assisted in the environmental management concepts of Waste prevention, including to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Recover, and climate change mitigation measure. We need to be proactive in addressing the climate change problems and do whatever is possible and within our means to solve this pandemic.
To fight youth unemployment in our communities, the Modimolle-Mookgopong Local Municipality has the expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) allocation forum for use and help in creating entry employment opportunities, especially for the Youth, Women and People with disabilities. Unfortunately, our people are now abusing this opportunity and regarding it as another social grant system, not what it is intended to be, which is, to facilitate entry into the labour market and effectively reduce unemployment. Our session should resolve to effectively implement EPWP, ensuring that the purposes therefore are attained, and not misuse chances ignorant of the inherent opportunities in the systems.
Looking into our internal issues that relate to Municipal Workers, we have a challenge of Time Management. Many workers and employees are inefficient in as far as this area is concerned. It would seem as though the Municipality has forgotten the guiding Values of the Municipality which include, amongst others, accountability, responsiveness, and Value-for-Money.
This challenge is affecting the operational efficiency and effectiveness of the Municipality. People must therefore choose to be Public Servants or Consultants. Public Servants should not act like consultants by working short hours and using Municipal Time for own (business) activities. The Municipality deserves Value for Money out of every employee and worker, we should all be at work, giving full dedication to our offices.
We should remember as Municipal Employees and Workers in Modimolle-Mookgophong Local Municipality that COVID-19 era is long past, and we are back to business as usual. There is no longer working-from-home issues, everyone is expecting to use maximum time in the office.
Furthermore, we should not forget the Financial Viability which is one of the Municipality’s Key Performance Indicators (KPAs) and a goal. Therefore, we should resolve and make efforts to improve revenue collection, by taking steps to ensure that Municipal debts is fully paid. Amongst others, ensure that workers and employees owing the Municipality to pay back the debts, service providers doing business with the Municipality are debt free in line with Supply Chain Requirements.
In terms of the National Standards, the Municipality is required to collect 95% of its debts on a monthly basis. At the moment, the Municipality is set itself a goal of 80% which is 15% short of National Standards and Benchmark. We therefore urge the strategic planning session to come with a resolution to align our target to the National Standards of 95%.
On Spatial Planning, another KPA, we have noticed that the Municipality does not have land for development and has lost approximately 2,000 erven for residential development in Phagameng due to the water table challenges. A lot of land suitable for development is also in private hands. The Municipality must resolve to start the process of acquiring such land for development purposes, using avenues such as COGHSTA and its agencies, in order to unlock developments for industrial, commercial and entertainment.
The Municipality has the potential to support the secondary requirements of the Mining belt of Mogalakwena, Lephalale and Sekhukhune, considering the availability of vast tracks of land that is between Modimolle and Mookgopong along the N1.
This exercise has the potential to bring the Mini-Sun-City below the Modimolle mountain, and as well as the biggest Mall between Mall of the North in Polokwane and Menlyn Mall in Tshwane.
Furthermore, we have noted that over the years, the Municipality has not been planning for infrastructure development, rehabilitation and upgrading. The Municipality has submitted to Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) the business plan in excess of R1.6 billion. We are also in a process of talking to Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) through our transaction advisors to secure Bulk Infrastructure Fund funding in excess of R5 billion to address the mobility on the old Residential/ Industrial areas and the envisaged new areas for development.
We therefore urge the Department of Water Affairs to accelerate the process of approving the Business Plan in order to enable us to pursue the service delivery mandate.
Over the years, the Municipality has not been able to manage traffic flowing in and out of the Municipal area, resulting in trucks using the central business district as parking area in the evening and early mornings, whilst the Municipality does not have ablution to cater for such instances. The parking of such trucks is against the bylaws, and encourage the users to dirty the town, and could be exacerbating criminal activities such human trafficking. This also imper the Public Image of the Municipality and makes it difficult for members of the Public to visit the town at night.
The Municipality has been operating with a skeleton staff in the traffic department and could therefore not be equal to the task when it comes to the law enforcement. We therefore urge management to resolve around creating sufficient traffic officers’ positions.
On governance, the Municipality is reimbursing ward committees monthly, our observation is that ward committees are reimbursed for holding meetings, but is one assesses the capacity of ward committees in relation to the section 154 functions, it is clear that the level of induction and training has not been fulfilled.
I argue that if thorough training was offered to this leg of governance, the Municipality would not be faced with a lot of pirate connections of services, vandalism of infrastructure, poor payment of services, and environmental pollution.
It is therefore important to enhance the level of capacity at ward committee level in order to improve oversight capacity within communities, and to curb the scourge. We understand that if the ward committees are empowered, they will be able to in turn, empower the communities.
Further to improve governance, oversight, and financial viability, the matter of MPAC training is necessary to provide.
These are some of the issues that we should robustly look at, amongst other strategic challenges that requires our immediate challenges.
The decisions we take here will lay the foundation for a prosperous and well-governed municipality, one that meets the needs of its people and upholds the principles of accountability, transparency, and innovation, as prescribed in our Strategic Intent.
Priorities for 2025/2026
As we craft our Annual Performance Plan (APP), we must prioritise:
- Strengthening Service Delivery: Sustainable infrastructure investment, efficient waste management, and ensuring reliable water and electricity supply.
- Enhancing Financial Viability: Implementing stronger revenue collection measures and achieving 100% conditional grant spending.
- Good Governance and Accountability: Aligning with the recommendations of the Auditor General South Africa (AGSA) to improve compliance and governance structures.
As Kwame Nkrumah once said, “Revolutions are brought about by men, by men who think as men of action and act as men of thought.” Let us define our reality in a way that inspires progress, not limitations.
With the 2026 Local Government Elections on the horizon, we are reminded that our mandate comes from the people. Our actions today shape their trust in us tomorrow. We must ensure that our commitments translate into tangible outcomes, making Modimolle-Mookgophong a municipality that its people are proud to call home.
This strategic session is not about rhetoric but actionable solutions. Let us engage robustly, challenge ourselves, and commit to resolutions that will position our municipality as a benchmark of excellence in Limpopo and beyond.
In the spirit of Thabo Mbeki’s words, “Gloom and despondency have never defeated adversity. Trying times need courage and resilience. Our strength as a people is not tested during the best of times.” Let us rise to the occasion, embrace the challenges, and make a meaningful impact in the lives of our people.
Together, we listen, Together, we build.
Together, we Deliver on the People’s Mandate!
I look forward to a productive and insightful session. Thank you,
Baie Dankie, Rhu Livhuha, Ikhensile, Rea Leboga!
