A COMPREHENSIVE study has identified an Eastern Cape municipality as the best in which to live in the country.

An economic empowerment rating agency, Empowerdex, named the Camdeboo Municipality, in the Graaff-Reinet area, the country’s best municipality.

Msinga, in northern KwaZulu Natal, was the worst.

Empowerdex project developer Suhail Mohamed said the research was based on the most recent data from Statistics South Africa, which compared the country’s service delivery from 2001 to 2007.

Elated Camdeboo Mayor Daantjie Japhta said he had been notified of the good news yesterday in Cape Town, where President Jacob Zuma met with more than 280 mayors to discuss service delivery.

The Empowerdex service delivery index (Munidex) measures the performance of municipalities, district councils, metropolitan municipalities and provinces on actual delivery (status index) as well as improvements in delivery over a period of time (the improvement index).

All 231 local municipalities, 46 district municipalities and six metropolitan municipalities were assessed, as far as housing, water, electricity, waste removal and sanitation were concerned.

The five service delivery elements were equally weighted at a maximum of 20 points consisting of 10 points for current status and 10 points for improvement over time.

Dubbed the “best place to live” in the province, Camdeboo scored 96,38% on the total status index, which measured the actual service delivery received by residents. The Camdeboo region has a population of about 70000 people.

While 69,5% of households have access to piped water in their dwelling or yard nationally, Camdeboo provides piped water to 98,2% of its residents. Regarding electricity, the category was divided into three subcategories, which measured the percentage of households using electricity for lighting, cooking and heating.

Camdeboo, Saldanha Bay and Stellenbosch municipalities were ranked in the top five in all three subcategories.

Camdeboo scored 98,10% for lighting, 95,50% for cooking and 91,20% for heating.

Japhta, who has been a mayor in Camdeboo since 2000, said: “I feel very good about this achievement. Many people didn’t believe we’re doing a good job, but we have been justified because this survey was conducted by an independent organisation.”

He attributed the municipality’s successes to the dedication of his “efficient team of professionals” who were willing to work.

Another thing which counted in their favour was the “reserves” left behind by the apartheid-era local government. “When we took over in 1994, we didn’t go on the rampage, spending every cent left behind by the apartheid regime.”

Japhta, whose career in local government spans 15 years, said they had put the money to good use by delivering services to the community.

“It’s all about team spirit and approach. My managers and directors and guys on the ground, the ones who get to do the actual work, are all dedicated. I praise them,” said Japhta.

The Baviaans and Inxuba Yethamba municipalities, also in the Eastern Cape, have the biggest percentage of households living in formal dwellings. Nationally 67,8% of households live in formal dwellings. But Baviaans and Inxuba Yethamba municipalities scored 99,20% and 98,90%, respectively.

Japhta said about 1907 RDP houses had been built since 1994, a number which constituted 50% of houses delivered.

Mbashe local municipality in Dutywa, where former president Thabo Mbeki hails from, scored 21,15% in the total status index, which measured the actual service delivery received by residents.

But Port St Johns remained one of the poorest and most undeveloped areas in the country with less than 20% (18,58%)of the population having access to basic services.

In the total improvement index, which compared the improvement in service delivery of local municipalities against each other, with the national average set at 50%, the embattled Sunday’s River Valley Municipality scored 57,14%.

The City of Cape Town is the best metro, while the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, despite ranking third with 86,90% on the status index, and first on the improvement index with 50%, was ranked fifth on the overall final score with 69,10%.

Municipal spokesman Luncedo Njezula said: “The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality welcomes the results of the Empowerdex service delivery index. The results are in our view reflective of the great strides we have made in delivering essential services.