Ngwathe MM Dr Mothamaha

By Steve Naale – In a strong show of dedication to the people of Ngwathe Local Municipality, Municipal Manager Dr Futhuli P. Mothamaha has reaffirmed his promise to put service delivery at the heart of all municipal work. Backed by Executive Mayor Cllr Victoria De Beer-Mthombeni, Dr Mothamaha stressed that basic services like water, electricity, roads, and waste collection are key to restoring dignity and building a brighter future for residents across towns such as Parys, Tumahole, Vredefort, Mokwallo, Heilbron, Phiritona, Koppies, Kwakwatsi, and Edenville. This comes as the municipality marks notable progress in infrastructure upgrades and community outreach over the past two years, with new fleet additions and major projects helping to cut costs and speed up responses to everyday needs.

Dr Mothamaha, who took office with a solid background in public administration and governance, has led efforts to strengthen the municipality’s ability to deliver. His leadership has seen the filling of key positions, including directors for technical services, finance, IT, local economic development, planning, roads and stormwater, contract management, payroll, expenditure, and performance management.

These appointments have created a stable team focused on turning plans into real results, aligning with national goals for better local government.

Leadership Driving Change in Ngwathe

Under Dr Mothamaha’s guidance, Ngwathe Local Municipality has adopted a clear set of goals to make services more reliable and efficient. These include making service delivery a top priority, building internal skills and systems for accountability, promoting self-reliance through owned equipment, encouraging community input, and linking local work to broader aims like creating a better life for all.
The Municipal Manager has played a central role in putting these ideas into practice. For instance, he has pushed for regular site visits, better coordination between departments, and monthly progress reports with clear measures of success, risks, and fixes. This approach has helped spot problems early and keep projects on track. Working closely with the Executive Mayor, Dr Mothamaha has ensured that council policies become everyday improvements that residents can see and feel.

Executive Mayor Cllr De Beer-Mthombeni has echoed this focus, highlighting how prioritising basics like water and lights shows democracy in action. Her leadership has supported the revival of essential departments and the rollout of projects that directly address community concerns raised in ward meetings and oversight visits.

Major Achievements in Service Delivery Over the Past Two Years

Since Dr Mothamaha joined Ngwathe, the municipality has made impressive strides in fixing long-standing issues and boosting capacity. In the last two years, key wins have come in water supply, electricity and lighting, roads and stormwater, waste management, traffic safety, and community access to services.

In water services, Dr Mothamaha has overseen breakthroughs that have brought relief to thousands. A standout project is the installation of a 1.97km, 160mm Class 16 pipeline in Koppies and Kwakwatsi, delivering reliable water to homes that had waited more than 20 years. In Tumahole’s Mandela section, a pilot borehole has provided immediate access, while larger efforts like a 15km secondary bulk supply pipeline in the same area reached 99% completion. Other advances include 57% progress on replacing old asbestos pipes in Parys, 38% refurbishment of the Parys Water Treatment Works, and 52% completion of a bulk supply line linking Koppies to Edenville. In Heilbron and Phiritona, new pipelines and a 3km waterborne sanitation network are underway, alongside upgrades in Vredefort with a 4ML reservoir and treatment works. These efforts have restored supply to areas like B Location, Zone 6 Top, Mandela, Tokoloho, Zuma, and Small Farm since early 2025, after years without. Three boreholes were refurbished and one drilled in Vredefort with partner support, helping improve water quality from low levels to approved standards. Overall, household access to water within 200m has grown, with targets to connect more and cut losses by 25% through leak repairs and pressure management.

Electricity and lighting have also seen big improvements under Dr Mothamaha’s watch. A widespread programme repaired street lights and Apollo high-mast lights across all towns, making streets safer for families, helping businesses stay open longer, and boosting tourism. Electricity losses have been reduced step by step, with targets dropping to 15.8% by year-end. Hundreds of households gained grid connections, including 357 in Mokwallo Extension 4 at 96% complete, 224 in Extension 7 at 70%, and plans for 361 more in Parys. A donated substation will soon link 2,000 homes in Vredefort Extensions 4 and 7, showing how partnerships are speeding up progress.

Roads and stormwater work has tackled daily frustrations head-on. Teams patched 40,000 square metres of potholes, built stormwater drainage, and maintained gravel roads through blading and clearing. Projects include a 2km paved access road in Mokwallo, 1km in Tumahole, a low-level bridge in Phiritona and Sandersville, and a pedestrian bridge. These fixes help during heavy rains and make travel easier for everyone.

Waste management got a boost with new tools and routines. Dr Mothamaha led the acquisition of a refuse compactor truck stationed in Mokwallo and Vredefort, improving collection times and cutting illegal dumping. Nine dumping spots were cleared, and four cleanup campaigns ran to keep towns healthier. Sanitation advanced with a 3km network in Phiritona and Heilbron, plus upgrades to the Vredefort Waste Water Treatment Works.

Traffic services were revived after nearly a decade, with new vehicles unveiled and a department back in action from June 2025. This has improved road safety, reduced accidents, and supported joint operations with police. A 12-month training programme for 27 young people in road traffic and law enforcement provides skills and stipends, creating jobs and building future capacity.

Community access improved with the re-opening of the Tumahole office in Parys, offering prepaid electricity buys, bill payments, indigency help, and queries closer to home. Dr Mothamaha’s engagements, like the September 2024 meeting with community groups to discuss water and lighting, have built trust and encouraged a culture of paying for services to fund more improvements.

Fleet expansions have been a game-changer, reducing outsourcing costs. Under Dr Mothamaha, the municipality bought a honeysucker truck on 13 December 2024 for sanitation, a cherry picker on 12 November 2024 for high-reach maintenance, a TLB on 19 October 2024 for digging and handling, plus 13 bakkies, two more cherry pickers, three compactors, and another TLB. These tools let teams respond faster and save money for other needs.
Economic initiatives add to the positives, with Dr Mothamaha leading talks on renewable energy like a solar station for electric vehicles and a wind farm in Edenville. The Parys Mega Development is moving forward, promising growth and jobs. Fire and rescue teams handled 408 emergencies with a maintained fleet, and six senior security officers were appointed for better internal controls.

Staff excellence shines too, with officials earning high qualifications like PhDs in chemistry, reflecting a capable team under Dr Mothamaha.

Tackling Challenges Head-On

Dr Mothamaha has been open about hurdles like old infrastructure, tight finances, poor past contracts, public demands, and skills shortages. His solutions include focusing on refurbishments first, like fixing leaks and valves in Koppies and Kwakwatsi pipelines and Parys works. To ease money woes, he enforces fair credit control while protecting poor households, rings-fences traffic revenue for projects, improves billing, and seeks grants. Contracts now have strict penalties and close monitoring, with quick fixes for delays. For public input, better fault systems and “blitz days” ensure fast action. Staff training, incentives, and knowledge-sharing help keep talent.

The municipality leads the province in grant use, attracting extra funds for projects creating 562 jobs in infrastructure, environment, and more.

Promises for a Brighter Future

Looking ahead, Dr Mothamaha commits to quicker fault fixes with set times per ward, clear project timelines, a strong performance culture with reviews, better community ties through forums, tight financial controls, service-focused departments, and tech upgrades for tracking and billing.
Executive Mayor De Beer-Mthombeni supports this with priorities like water upgrades, lighting maintenance, pothole fixes, standard waste collections, expanded customer points, and fair enforcement. She pledges oversight visits, public updates, and inclusive programmes for youth, women, and vulnerable groups.

A Call for Partnership from Residents

Dr Mothamaha urges residents to report issues quickly, keep access clear for workers, pay bills where possible or seek indigency aid, join ward meetings, and avoid harm to property. This teamwork is vital for success.

Ngwathe MM Dr Mothamaha Issues Commitment to Residents: ‘Service Delivery Is Non-Negotiable’

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centralnewsza #news #politics #ngwathe #feziledabi #freestate

Ngwathe MM Dr Mothamaha

Ngwathe MM Dr Mothamaha Issues Commitment to Residents: ‘Service Delivery Is Non-Negotiable’

Ngwathe MM Dr Mothamaha

Leadership Driving Change in Ngwathe

Major Achievements in Service Delivery Over the Past Two Years

Tackling Challenges Head-On

Promises for a Brighter Future

A Call for Partnership from Residents

centralnewsza #news #politics #ngwathe #feziledabi #freestate

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