VDM hopes to improve its financial status with new appointment

Date: 13 August 2022 By: Silas Nduvheni

With the appointment of Cllr Hlekani Mtileni as member of the Vhembe District Municipality (VDM)’s portfolio committee on finance, Executive Mayor Dowelani Nenguda said he wanted to see his municipality improve service delivery to the communities and to achieve a clean audit.

Mtileni was elected during a special council sitting, held at the VDM’s council chamber in Thohoyandou on Thursday, 4 August. This comes after the appointment of the previous portfolio committee member, Rudzani Ludere, as ANC secretary in the Vhembe region late in 2021.

“We hope that, with the appointment of a new portfolio committee member, we will be able improve our financial status. We are the water services authority and communities outside complain about water shortages in their villages,” said Nenguda. “Water is a source of life and without it, communities cannot live. We want to fast track water delivery and drill boreholes to improve the backlog in terms of water availability and infrastructure.”

Mtileni was delighted to be part of the committee charged with the district’s finances and said she was ready to help bring the district to a higher level. “It is no secret that water challenges are affecting our district municipality negatively and the little finance we have must be accounted for. Every single cent from the municipality’s coffers must be channelled to deliver services to our people and ensure that basic services, such as water, reach part of the community, especially the poorest of the poor. [If] every cent is spent responsibly for the services budgeted and accounted for, the municipality will be more stable and [ultimately] get an unqualified audit opinion,” she said.

Since Mtileni graduated with a bachelor’s degree in environmental sciences from the University of Venda in 2016, she had worked at a number of private institutions as environmental officer.

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Silas Nduvheni

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