The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on the Mayor of Gamagara municipality to hold officials accountable for the failed municipal website, which comes at an unjustifiable cost to taxpayers and puts the municipality at risk of litigation.
It has been two years since the website, with URL: Gamagara.co.za, ceased to function. Deadlines set for the restoration of the website have repeatedly not been met. This is despite the appointment of a communications officer and the provision of training.
A municipal website is not a luxury but a mandatory local government mechanism aimed at ensuring transparency, participation and oversight. The municipality’s failure to take the website seriously, exposes Gamagara to legal action. This was confirmed in a legal opinion, sought by the committee on Corporate and Community Service, stating that there is a genuine risk of potential legal action against Gamagara if essential documentation, such as tender roles and legal documents, are not available on the website.
Commitments made by the Municipal Manager (MM) since 2024, to restore functionality of the website, have not amounted to anything. A motion on the functionality of the website, as tabled by the DA chairperson of the portfolio committee on Corporate and Community Service, and passed in council in February this year, has also not achieved the desired outcome.
It is now up to the Mayor to hold the MM accountable for the dysfunctional website and for ensuring implementation of the tabled recommendations. This includes conducting a financial review to determine value for money of the appointment of the communications officer, largely tasked with restoring the website. It further includes providing Council with a clear plan of action to get the website up and running, including timelines and responsible parties.
Gamagara municipality is not above the law. The DA will further probe the costs of the website development to date and push hard to ensure that Gamagara has a functional and updated website to provide citizens with information about service delivery and to foster transparency and accountability.