By Silindzelwe Nxumalo
THE Mbabane Municipality Council has recorded a total revenue of E134 088 900 in the year 2022/2023 compared to the E130 042 456 recorded in the previous year.
According to the council’s annual report for 2022/2023, a total income of E151 334 389 was recorded which showed an improvement when compared to the year 20212022. The report also states that there was a surplus of E3 212 591 recorded by the council in the year under review which also shows an increase from the previous year.
In the year under review, the council approved 221 building applications valued at E428 989 400, the report further states. The council reported that there were only 52 buildings completed in the foregoing financial year valued at E55 015 540. The report stated that there were 145 building applications valued at E847 417 770 that were submitted to the council in the year under review.
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The council reported that there had been a decline in the number and value of submitted plans for the 2022/2023 financial year when compared to the previous financial year. The council further stated that the number of completed buildings decreased yet the value increased in the 2022/2022 financial year when compared to the previous financial year.
The council also reported about its capital improvement program, which saw the rehabilitation of Somhlolo Road with a budget of E37 million. Concerning lease agreements, the municipality reported that 111 lease agreements were registered and delivered in the 2022/23 financial year. According to the report, the registration was inclusive of 56 new leases as well as 45 transfers to third-party owners in the UDP townships, while there were four new registrations and six transfers in Mahwalala Zone 5 township.
“However, worth noting is that the number of registered documents is lower when compared to the last financial year, where a total of 160 leases were registered and delivered,” read the report in part.
The council explained that this was mainly because the Deeds Registry Office was temporarily affected their operations which led to the non-delivery of registered documents.
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The council added that they collected administration fees about transfers of plots in the UDP areas and that a total of 98 transactions were made towards plot transfers during the year, and revenue amounting to E147,000 was collected. The council also reported that a total of 27 lease cancellations that qualified for the waiver of plot transfer conditions were processed.
The council said that 183 confirmation of residence letters were issued to residents of the city for different purposes such as bank confirmation, water connections, burial confirmation, and social welfare funding confirmation letters. According to the report, two workshops were conducted for all Local Community Committees in the city focused on sensitizing the committees on Council Programmes as part of civic education and on the role of Local Community Committees and Ward Committees Policy.
“In total, 28 community meetings were facilitated for various purposes, ranging from civic education and education on the upcoming local government elections, as well as a collection of budget submissions, while other meetings were facilitated on request by the respective communities,” read the report.
The council went on to report that a total of 37 notices were issued to land leaseholders for various reasons, including outstanding lease rentals, failure to kick-start operations as well and making way for proposed Council projects. The council also reported that 9 leases were formally terminated for different reasons.
