By Obakeng Maje
Taung- The Greater Taung Municipality will table its Intergrated Development Plan during budget speech that will take place on Wednesday at Taung Hotel School & Convention Centre.

The belligerent municipality met with its residents in Mmabana Taung where residents tabled their suggestions and wishes last week.

The visits actually started back in February and on Wednesday next week, the municipality will be mapping out its plan for how it will spend the money for the next five years, on what, and where.

Greater Taung is the fourth-largest local municipality in Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati district and consists of close to 106 villages.

“It is a plan to help us set our budget priorities and an agreement between local government and its residents” Executive Mayor Kaone Lobelo said at Lokgabeng village months ago.

Lobelo said thus a fine balance needs to be struck in allocating scarce resources.

Consultation with residents resulted in three top priorities being defined- poverty alleviation, job creation and service delivery.

Even though Taung at large is agricultural significant, it is poverty-stricken area.

Amid corruption and nepotism leveled against the municipality, the newly-appointed Municipal Manager, Katlego Gabanakgosi is really getting his hands dirty and is planning to scrap corruption and maladministration allegedly experienced in the past.

According to our source, the audit is currently underway at municipality and if our mole’s information is anything to go by, close to R46 million has allegedly been misused.

According to Lobelo, Greater Taung is mostly consists of rural areas and only Pudumoe, Reivilo and Taung CBD are only areas that pay for service delivery and that affects the economy of Taung.

“Most areas in Taung does not pay for sanitation, water and refuse removal as they are rural areas, only Pudumoe, Taung CBD and Reivilo do” Lobelo outlines.

Most residents voiced their unhappiness regarding poor state of most roads in the area, electricity, houses and lack of job opportunities.

On Wednesday at Taung Hotel School and Convention, the municipal manager will outlines his plans and what is given first priority regarding residents wishes.-TDN
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