LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Redrawing boundaries depletes demarcation board funds
Municipal Demarcation Board head Dithabe Nkoane demands more funding and attacks legislation on its ill-defined mandate
The Municipal Demarcation Board took a financial knock after redrawing several municipal borders across SA in the run-up to the 2016 local government elections, CEO Dithabe Nkoane has admitted. Nkoane has called for more funding and bemoaned legislation as inadequate for the authority to carry out its mandate effectively. In its 2015-16 report, Nkoane concedes that the demarcation board lacked sufficient funds for human resources and public consultations about municipal border changes and did not get support from municipalities in facilitating public consultations. The board drew criticism from opposition parties, which accused it of gerrymandering on behalf of the ANC after it had announced a series of controversial and contentious ward delimitations and municipal mergers in 2016. In Vuwani, Limpopo, the discontent over a pending municipal merger resulted in public unrest that saw about 20 schools being burnt down. The delimitation process in 2016 resulted in municipalities being s...
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