Performance information
grant
allocation
and
identification
of
infrastructure renewal was drawn up. This
assisted in advancing the pronouncement made
by the Minister of Finance in his budget speech
of February 2017 in that the National Treasury will
be focussing on improved asset management,
including adherence to 8 per cent of the value
of assets b eing spent on their maintenance. The
report is seen as an input towards working with
the National Treasury on the pronouncements
by the Minister. Knowledge sharing on waste management
Water conservation and demand was promoted
at the SALGA KZN games. In collaboration with
SALGA KZN, messages of conserving water were
communicated through various sporting codes.
This initiative was as a result of the on-going
drought in KZN. SALGA successfully lobbied the Department
of Environmental Affairs (DEA) to work on the
national awareness campaign, aimed at educating
communities about their role in keeping their
environment clean. This work was motivated by
the current state of litter in the environment and
the resources being invested by municipalities to
keep their cities and towns clean.
SALGA explored alternative water conservation
and demand management through the
configuration of the water conservation and
demand management fund in collaboration with
the mines (Exxaro and Anglo) and the strategic
water partnership network. This partnership has
triggered interest and attracted grant funding
from the World Bank for a market study to take the
water conservation and demand fund forward.
A water and wastewater plant optimisation
project was initiated in which five water
professionals were deployed in three districts
in KwaZulu-Natal and one in the Eastern Cape
province. The objective was to update operation
and maintenance manuals and process
monitoring and sustainable compliance, assist
with planning of process trouble-shooting,
waterworks safety planning and implement
process improvements and optimisation.
Capacity building on water issues
Water services master classes were conducted
in KZN, Free State and Western Cape. These
were aimed at enhancing and equipping the
water services officials with knowledge on water
balance, water safety planning, wastewater risk
abatement planning, linking and integrating risk
management initiatives and municipal action
plans. Municipal practitioners are supported
by practical insights in the form of site visits by
hosting municipalities.
54
SALGA has provided support to municipalities
through creating platforms for lesson learning
and sharing on good practices. This was achieved
through conducting nine provincial sessions
in which municipalities showcased their good
practices in waste management. Through these
sessions various innovations have been shared
as well as achievements on waste management
by municipalities.
The first phase included initiation of waste
separation at source and awareness raising at
the filling stations on the N1 highway between
Pretoria and Johannesburg.
The project was successfully implemented and
is continuing under the management of filling
stations with ongoing guidance by the DEA and
SALGA.
Municipal legal mandate and fiscal
requirements for environmental management
SALGA has prioritised the need for a defined
legislative
mandate
for
environmental
management and for adequate financing
mechanisms to improve municipal performance.
SALGA developed a legislative framework for
environmental management that serves as a
legal protocol for the differentiated devolution of
environmental management to local government.
A policy position on funding environmental
management, focussed on articulating the cost
drivers, funding gaps, and proposals on fiscal
instruments to support municipal environmental
performance was also finalised and stakeholders
consulted.
SALGA concluded the research study on the
legal mandate, key performance indicators and
costing of environmental performance and
compliance in local government. Municipalities
and other relevant stakeholders were consulted