The Laingsburg Municipality, smallest in the province, has received the biggest honour at the Western Cape Vuna Award from Minister Pierre Uys, Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, at a gala event (12 November 2008) in Cape Town.
The award and prize of R750 000 in the category for local municipalities was scooped up the first time by Laingsburg. The awards are the culmination of an extensive review process. Overstrand and Swartland were respectively second and third.
This year three of the five finalists were former Project Consolidate municipalities that had been assisted to improve their functioning and service delivery. Besides Laingsburg, Beaufort West and Matzikama made it to the finals.
In the category for district municipalities Cape Winelands won the category award and R750 000 prize money with West Coast marginally in the second place. The performance management system of Cape Winelands has been developed in conjunction with the national department of provincial and local government, and has been introduced in three Free State municipalities as a pilot project.
Both winners (Laingsburg and Cape Winelands) are first time achievers under this system and will compete for the national Vuna Awards on 10 December 2008.
Special awards went to Beaufort West (Most Improved), Overstrand (Most Innovative), Hessequea (Best Public Participation), Matzikama and Drakenstein (both for Excellent Service Delivery).
Metropolitan Councils compete at a national level.
"Besides encourage, measure and reward performance excellence of our municipalities, we ensure the sharing of knowledge and best practices as well as holding local government to account. All municipalities are continuously monitored at various levels. The Vuna assessment for this year started in July and culminated in the awards ceremony," Minister Uys said.
