Speaker, the Greater Kokstad Municipality, under the Sisonke District Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, is a medium local municipality, located on the border of KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape Provinces. This municipality submitted its entry in response to a call by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs to all KwaZulu-Natal municipalities to enter the excellence awards competition.
The municipalities were required to submit a motivation on best community projects; most innovative infrastructure projects; and best ward in a municipality with evidence. The criteria used for selecting the best performing municipality were as follows: the municipality's contribution to the project; the level of community involvement in the project; the number of jobs created during project implementation; value for money; the project's contribution to the improvement in the quality of life for the community; the challenges encountered during project implementation; and the municipality's strategies to overcome those challenges.
The Greater Kokstad Municipality was nominated and subsequently selected as the best performing medium or large municipality in KwaZulu-Natal. The municipality was awarded the first prize of R1 million and a floating trophy. The prize money is to be used in community development projects. Thank you. [Applause.]