By Nangamso Mabindla
6 June 2005

INTERGOVERNMENTAL relations were on the agenda last week when a delegation from the Mogalakwena Municipality in Limpopo visited Buffalo City.

Amanda Magwentshu, Buffalo City's corporate services director, said the City had benefited from the visit. "Organisations that learn from one another, that network with others, are bound to be successful."

The 48-member delegation, the biggest to visit the City, toured various City departments, including corporate support services, traffic and emergency services, technical services, community services and finance.

Morutse Ntsoane, the manager of Mogalakwena's corporate services unit, was impressed with what he saw, saying the delegation had learned a lot from their visit. "We are a small municipality and we thought we would come to an awarding-winning municipality to look at ways we can improve our governance and deliver services to our communities."

Magalakwena's manager of corporate services Morutse Ntsoane, with Buffalo City's director of corporate services Amanda Magwentshu and office manager Bongi Mashalaba

In 2003 Buffalo City won the provincial and national Vuna Awards, the Clean City Award from the national department of local government, an award from the provincial department of housing for the municipality's social housing project, and the ZK Matthews award for the best municipality in the African National Congress birthday awards.

Ntsoane also commended the City on its Integrated Develop Plan (IDP) document. "I especially like the small booklet that explains the IDP. This enables ordinary people to participate."

The delegation attended a cocktail party on Friday evening at the East London City Hall, and on Saturday had to show off their sporting skills when they played netball and soccer matches against Buffalo City. The matches took place at the Correctional Services fields at Fort Glamorgan on the West Bank.

"We had a good time in Buffalo City and we hope we are going to use what we learned from the City to improve on delivering services to our people," said Ntsoane. "This will benefit our people."

A delegation from Buffalo City will visit Mogalakwena in October.