A former school teacher, Pat Hutcheson is the Mayoral Committee Member for Support Services.
She and her husband also farm in the Midvaal area, therefore uplifting the rural communities is close to her heart.

To make Midvaal sustainable and keeping it affordable in terms of rates and taxes are her priorities.
She points out that the service payment in Midvaal is at an impressive 98%. The municipality adopts a strict debt-collection policy, but the budget provides for rebates and benefits for pensioners, with an indigent policy to help the poor.

Hutcheson explains that the indigent policy is implemented on a sliding scale and is reviewed annually to ensure that all residents are treated equally, while there is a safety net for the poor.
Midvaal Municipality has a zero-tolerance policy towards fraud and crime in the council, hence a tollfree line for anonymous tip-offs.

“We also provide programmes to assist our 600 employees. We have wellness programmes and provide counseling for employees who require it,” Hutcheson says.
She explains that the municipal revenue is protected through local audits and an independent body which consists of three men and two women.

This DA-run council’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) is chaired by the ANC’s Chief Whip to ensure transparency, Hutcheson says.

She points out that Midvaal Municipality is one of a handful of local authorities with a clean audit report from the Auditor-General with no disclaimers – “of which we are very proud”.

E-mail: mmcsupp&fin@midvaal.gov.za