iLGM Young Managers Forum was held at Umhlathuze Municipality on 29 & 30 July 2009, and the Gala Dinner was held at the beautiful Canefields Country House in Empangeni.

Municipal leaders were warmly welcomed by the City Manager of Umhlathuze Municipality, who emphasised the fact that there’s great hope for South Africans even under the current gloomy economic climate. He said we tend to ignore some of the good things that set us apart from other countries, like our good weather, which is excellent for tourism. He also stressed the importance of us having a good relationship with God, as Young Managers.

The Keynote address was then given by Mr Mnqayi, the Mayor of Umhlathuze Municipality. He alluded to the challenges Municipalities face, for example the skills shortage. He asked Young Managers to try and be innovative and think out of the Box. He also requested that Municipalities take a serious look at protests, such as the protests from communities on service delivery and added that they look at what the communities concerns are.  He also pointed out that officials within Local Government must stand their ground and guide politicians and must not execute requests from politicians that are against the Municipal Management Act.

He stressed that Young Managers need to be more responsible and must get out and visit the communities in which they operate. They need to understand the issues within their areas of operation and not just be office bound and sit under air-conditioned offices doing office work only. He encouraged Young Managers to work hard and to leave a good legacy behind. Managers must change things around and pride themselves in their achievements, which are easily measured through the Audit outcomes.

Talk from Chairperson of the KZN Chapter of the iLGM – Mr S’ya Nkehli
Mr Nkehli said Young Managers must really think of how the current Economic meltdown impacts on Local Government and find alternate plans to minimise the impact of the economic crisis on job losses, sustainability of service delivery within the Municipalities. He explained that communication was important, particularly with our communities. “We need to make sure we engage the communities on their needs and ensure that we’re delivering to them the needed services effectively,” he said.

He congratulated all the KZN Municipalities who have done very well in terms of Audit reports. He mentioned the good relationship iLGM has with the Department of Local Government and how the KZN Chapter would like to grow it from strength to strength.

Other talks included and covered the following topics:
- The importance of work ethics & good corporate Governance.
- Fraud & Corruption within Local Government and how to detect and prevent it.
- Talk on the Financial Management & Policies within Local Government by the CFO of Umhlathuze Municipality.

Gala Dinner
Deputy City Manager, Mr Nhleko, opened the proceedings who made us feel very welcomed in the City of Umhlathuze.
The Keynote address was made by the Honourable MEC, Willies Mchunu, who until recently, was MEC for Local Government & Traditional Affairs.  He touched on Government’s commitment to working closely with Municipal leaders, and emphasized the importance of communication between Municipalities and their communities, amongst other important things.