Durban — The uMngeni Local Municipality mayor Chris Pappas has indicated that the money the municipality saved while paying back a loan would be used for service delivery and social-economic development.
Recently, a happy DA in KwaZulu-Natal has announced that the uMngeni Local Municipality, the first DA-run municipality, was able to pay off a R10.4 million loan, making it debt-free.
DA KZN leader Francois Rodgers said: “This is 11 months into governance, saving residents R450 000 in interest this year.”
Pappas said the R10.4m was part of a R30m loan taken to pay for operational costs, mostly salaries and Eskom. He said they managed to pay off the R10.4m by managing their finances better, collecting debt and making long-term planning decisions.
“We will reprioritise funds during the adjustment budget. It will be used for basic service delivery and social-economic development,” Pappas said about what the money that has been saved will be used for.
The DA, especially Pappas, has been lauded for this great achievement, besides all the service delivery he has been behind over the last 11 months.
“I appreciate all the support that I and the team are getting,” he said. “We have a very long way to go but I am pleased with how much we have done in a short space of time.”
Rodgers said that when they went to the polls in 2021, the DA made promises to the voters of uMngeni that should the DA be elected to government, the municipality would show the residents of uMngeni and the province of KZN “the DA difference”.
Rodgers said they would bring meaning to the words, “where the DA governs, we govern well”.
He said under the governance of Pappas and his team, the DA managed to wipe off all debt created by the ANC.
“The savings of almost half a million can now be spent on service delivery for the residents of uMngeni,” Rodgers said. “UMngeni is testimony that the DA gets things done.”
Commenting on a Twitter post about the municipality, Pappas said the debt was mainly salaries.
Daily News