Excerpts From Municipality’s 2021/2022 Annual Report
As part of its strategic objectives and in line with good governance principles, the Municipal Council of Manzini has a responsibility to account to its stakeholders. As such, the Municipality has put together a report which reflects the organisation’s performance in respect of service delivery, developmental programmes and projects as well as financial performance during the last financial year which ended on the 31st March 2022. The following are snippets from the report…
- MUNICIPALITY SCORES 84% IN GOVERNANCE AUDIT
The Municipality facilitated engagement of consultancy services to conduct the organizational ELGP (Eswatini Local Government Project) Assessment wherein a score of 85% was achieved. The Municipality also coordinated the engagement of consultancy services to conduct the 2020/21 Council Governance Assessment wherein a score of 84% was obtained. Reports were presented to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
- PPPs AND PFIs COORDINATED
The Municipality continued with conceptualization and coordination of organizational Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) projects for purposes of city development. Projects covered related to the development of a Fairview Mixed-Use Commercial Centre, Mkhosi Township, Construction of Bosco Bridge, Rehabilitation of Stanley Street as well as an Energy Saving Smart Street-Lighting Project.
- 85% RATING IN CUSTOMER SATISFACTION SURVEY
As per the requirement of the ISO 9001:2015 quality standard, the Municipality conducted and finalized the 2020/2021 External Customer Satisfaction Survey. Over 90% respondents were ratepayers. Whilst the overall survey results depict a picture of stakeholders that are generally satisfied with municipal service delivery; road infrastructure maintenance (on both the CBD and neighbourhoods) and the condition of public toilets remain the greatest concern to stakeholders. On a positive note, stakeholders expressed a high level of satisfaction with regard to communication effectiveness, accessibility of the Municipality, staff customer care as well as waste collection. The overall customer satisfaction rating was 85%; which marks an improvement from 61% that was achieved during a similar survey in 2019.
- SUPPORT INITIATIVES FOR VULNERABLE GROUPS
The Municipality managed to coordinate a number of initiatives for selected vulnerable groups namely, the elderly, women and girls, children and youth, people with disability and the indigent.
- TURN-AROUND STRATEGY IMPLEMENTATION
During the reporting year, the Municipality implemented phase (4) of the organizational Turn-Around Strategy (TAS). This phase covered employees who were redundant. It was also characterised by rigorous negotiations with both labor formations (Union and Staff Association); which culminated to mutual collective agreements that were registered at the Industrial Court. Continuous change management trainings, financial counselling and psychological counselling were conducted to support the implementation process.
- REDESIGN OF CITYWIDE ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE
In effort to ensure that the Municipality is well equipped with preliminary designs for its road rehabilitation/reconstruction projects, it engaged a civil engineering consultant for Phase I of the redesign of citywide road infrastructure. Having the designs helps in the sense that, when funds become available for commencement of rehabilitation/reconstruction/upgrading works, the process does not have to start from the design stage. The consultant managed to deliver preliminary designs for the identified roads. They were also able to complete final designs for Meintjies Street rehabilitation as well as (3) storm water drainage layouts for Linda Street, Lishongololo/Mhlaba streets and the area around SNAT Burial establishment.
- PUBLIC TOILET CONSTRUCTED IN PENDRAY PARK
In an effort to provide convenience facilities for users of Pendray Park recreational park within Trelawney Park Township as well as passers-by, the Municipality took a decision to construct public toilets within the recreational park. The design process for this project was completed and construction work was undertaken through in-house resources. The construction process commenced towards end of the reporting year and was set for completion during the following financial year.
- RECONSTRUCTION OF SAMUEL STREET BRIDGE
The project towards reconstruction of Samuel Street Bridge in Ngwane Park Township was awarded to a contractor following an open tender procurement process. Construction commenced, however, its delivery got negatively affected by political instability that engulfed the country. The project was further dealt a huge blow and ended up stalling as the contractor experienced challenges with one of the country’s regulatory bodies. The contract termination process began towards the end of the reporting year. An effort will be made to engage another contractor to complete the project.
- 179 BUILDING PLANS APPROVED
Monitoring of construction activities proceeded well throughout the reporting year and a total of (179) building plans were approved; with their combined value standing at E150 million.
- ESTABLISHMENT OF NEW CEMETERY
The Municipality engaged a service provider for purposes of establishing a multi-burial cemetery next to the Manzini Golf Course Cemetery. The preliminary layout design for the cemetery was prepared and the scoping report was submitted to the Eswatini Environment Authority. The Municipality further prepared the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and submitted it to the Eswatini Environment Authority and it was duly approved.
- FURNITURE INSTALLED IN PUBLIC OPEN SPACES
During the reporting year, the Municipality embarked on installation of furniture for (3) recreational parks that are situated in Coates Valley, Madonsa and Fairview North. Wooden benches and tables, swings and a concrete braai area were also installed in consultation with the community. Moreover, street furniture (that is, benches) was installed on (3) sites within the city centre, these being; next to KFC food outlet at the main bus rank, outside Bhunu Mall and next to the Manzini National Library.
- 164 FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS GRADED
A total of (164) food outlets were inspected and graded during the reporting year. This marks a decline from (198) that were inspected and graded during the previous year. The decrease in number was a result of closure of some food outlets due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
- 313 TREES PLANTED
The Municipality managed to plant (313) indigenous trees within the Manzini urban area. Some of the trees were donated by youths from various SADC countries that had been hosted by Eswatini National Youth Cooperative Alliance (ESNYCA). Others were donated by the Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Affairs’ Forestry Department.
- 199 RESIDENTIAL HEALTH INSPECTIONS CONDUCTED
The Municipality conducted health and hygiene inspections in a total of (199) residences citywide. A total of (131) premises were found to be in good condition whilst (68) were found to be unhygienic. Owners of the unhygienic ones were served with compliance notices. Of the (68) premises, (41) had issues of overgrown vegetation around the yard; (6) had issues of sewer leakage; (3) had issues of indiscriminate littering around the yard and (1) had an issue of open burning of waste.
- 299 URGED TO REMOVE OVERGROWTH ON PROPERTIES
In an effort to improve public convenience and safety within the Manzini urban area, the Municipality conducted a citywide vegetation overgrowth inspection and identified (299) private properties that had vegetation overgrowth. The property owners were served with written notices, instructing them to clear the overgrowth for purposes of improved safety and neighbourliness with neighbouring property owners. The Municipality commenced the litigation process against property owners who remained non-compliant. This happened subsequent to several reminders.
- 90 FINED FOR LITTERING
A total of (90) offenders were fined for contravening the Litter Regulations of 2021 during the year under review and a total of (E30,000) was collected in penalty fees. Most of the offenders were nabbed within the city centre.
- CLOSE TO 3,000 TESTED FOR HIV
Knowing one’s HIV status is an entry point for getting a number of HIV and AIDS treatment services. It is also the basis for all HIV prevention interventions hence the Municipality continued to prioritize testing services. A total of (2,956) people were tested during the course of the year under review at the LaMvelase Help Centre as well as during community outreach activities.
- OVER 1 MILLION CONDOMS DISTRIBUTED
Easy accessibility of condoms is one of the key strategies that the Municipality is utilising to deal with the issue of increasing levels of new HIV infections. Furthermore, condoms are still the main HIV prevention commodity that exist in the country. The Municipality managed to ensure consistent condom distribution in strategic areas within the city, including public toilets. A total of (1, 070 600) condom units were distributed during the reporting year.
- 76% OF RATES COLLECTION TARGET ACHIEVED
A Revenue Collection Plan, also referred to as a Revenue Enhancement Plan, was developed at the beginning of the financial year under review. The plan is basically a working document that gives direction towards revenue collection. The Revenue Collection Plan defines clear and specific targets for revenue collection per quarter of the financial year. The total rates collection performance during the reporting year stood at E65 million; which marks 76% of the collection target for the year.
- UNQUALIFIED AUDIT OPINION
External auditors (PriceWaterhouse Coopers) were engaged during the reporting year to commence the financial audit for the 2020/2021 financial year. Audited financial statements with an unqualified audit opinion were obtained from the auditors and presented to stakeholders during the Municipality’s Annual General Meeting.
…MANZINI AGM TODAY
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The Municipal Council of Manzini will today hold its 2022 Annual General Meeting (AGM), 7:30am, at The George Hotel. The purpose of the accountability meeting is to present a report on Council’s performance during the last financial year (2021/2022). However, due to space limitations, only a limited number of stakeholders will be able to attend. A provision has been made for the meeting to be streamed lived on the Municipality’s Facebook page and YouTube (Municipal Council of Manzini). The 2021/2022 Annual Performance Report has already been uploaded and is accessible on the Municipality’s website (www.mzcitycouncil.sz) under “Corporate Publications”. A link to the Annual Report has also been sent by bulk SMS to stakeholders. The link has also been uploaded on the Municipality’s Facebook page (Manzini News). Furthermore, stakeholders who wish to have it emailed or sent to them by WhatsApp may contact Council on info@mzcitycouncil.sz or 7808 2333/7908 2333. They will be assisted. Comments on the content of the report may also be sent through the same email or cellphone number.