SALGA Mpumalanga is a provincial structure of SALGA. It is situated in Mpumalanga province in Nelspruit. The offices of SALGA Mpumalanga are situated within Mbombela local municipality. Mpumalanga means “Place Where the Sun Rises”. Due to the province’s spectacular scenic beauty and abundance of wildlife, it is one of South Africa’s major tourist destinations. Mpumalanga has a population of more than 3,5 million people.

Nelspruit is the capital of the province and the administrative and business centre of the Lowveld. Witbank is the centre of the local coal-mining industry; Standerton, in the south, is renowned for its large dairy industry; and Piet Retief in the southeast is a production area for tropical fruit and sugar. A large sugar industry is also found at Malelane in the east; Ermelo is the district in South Africa that produces the most wool; Barberton is one of the oldest gold-mining towns in South Africa; and Sabie is situated in the forestry heartland of the country.

Mpumalanga has 20 Municipalities; 3 Districts and 17 Locals:

Districts Municipalities

• Ehlanzeni
• Gert Sibande
• Nkangala
  

Local Municipalities

• City of Mbombela
• Nkomazi
• Bushbuckridge
• Thaba Chweu
• Dipaleseng
• Govan Mbeki
• Msukaligwa
• Lekwa
• Chief Albert Luthuli
• Pixley Ka Isaka Seme
• Mkhondo
• Dr JS Moroka
• Thembisile Hani
• Victor Khanye
• Emalahleni
• Steve Tshwete
• Emakhazeni

Mpumalanga Highlights

Water and Sanitation

• SALGA Mpumalanga assisted Bushbuckridge local municipalities in the development of a Sanitation Acceleration Strategy. Other municipalities that were being assisted in collaboration with the DWA to develop sanitation acceleration strategies are Thembisile Hani, Dr JS Moroka, Albert Luthuli, Nkomazi and Mbombela local municipalities. These six (6) municipalities including Bushbuckridge were identified as having huge sanitation backlogs and therefore require immediate support.
  

Mpumalanga Provincial Energy Forum

• SALGA has provided support to municipalities in the roll out of their Electrification projects through the Mpumalanga Energy Forum. In the 2009/2010 financial year, SALGA has supported municipalities in fifty one (51) Electrification projects in Mpumalanga where twenty (28) projects are under the Eskom Electrification Programme and twenty three (23) projects are under the Municipal Electrification Programme. The challenged experienced is poor attendance by members. In order to address this challenge, the Forum resolved that District Energy Fora be established which might increase the attendance at district level.
  

Capacity Building

• 87 Councilors/officials participating in ELMDP.
• 80 Participants in National Certificate in Municipal Governance programme.
• GEMLOC - Fourteen (14) participants from the province are part of the programme, that is, twelve (12) participants from District Municipalities and two (2) participants from SALGA Mpumalanga, the Programme Manager Community Development and the Advisor Capacity Building.
  A total number of 94 participants have applied for admission in the Learnership in Junior and Middle

Management programme.

• SALGA Legacy Framework for 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup
  SALGA Mpumalanga together with the Department of Culture, Sports and Culture (DCSR) and the Provincial 2010 Office assisted municipalities by availing information on the process to be followed 36 when applying for the volunteer programme.
  SALGA Mpumalanga was also part of the meetings during the identification and finalization of the three (3) public viewing sites in the province, namely Embalenhle Stadium in Govan Mbeki local municipality, Mkhuhlu Stadium in Bushbuckridge local municipality and Mhluzi Stadium in Steve Tshwete local municipality.
  SALGA Mpumalanga 2009 Municipal Excellence Awards
  On the 20th of May 2009, SALGA Mpumalanga hosted its third (3rd) Municipal Excellence Awards.
  Supporting municipalities in mainstreaming transversal issues
  During the month of April, May and August 2009, as a way of assisting municipalities and to get challenges faced by individual municipalities, SALGA Mpumalanga embarked on a one on one meeting with the following municipalities: Ehlanzeni and Gert Sibande District Municipalities, Mbombela, Nkomazi, Umjindi, Thaba Chweu, Bushbuckridge and Steve Tshwete local municipalities.
  The aim of the engagements was to discuss the following issues:
  The Transversal Unit structure
  The functionality of HIV/AIDS Councils
  The development/review of transversal programmes policies
  The revival of Disability Forums
  Gender, Youth, People with Disability, Elderly and Children
  On the 6th to the 10th of July 2009, SALGA Mpumalanga in partnership with the Office on the Status of the Disabled Person (OSDP) conducted basic sign language training for all municipalities. The aim of the basic sign language training was to capacitate officials and councilors on basic sign language which would enable them to communicate with People with Disabilities especially those with hearing impairment.
  Fifteen (15) municipalities are being assisted and the process involves training of HIV and AIDS Coordinators as well as IDP Managers on how to integrate HIV and AIDS into developmental local government using existing municipal processes, structures and systems.
  During the month of April, May and August 2009, as a way of assisting municipalities and to get challenges faced by individual municipalities, SALGA Mpumalanga embarked on a one on one meeting with the following municipalities: Ehlanzeni and Gert Sibande District Municipalities, Mbombela, Nkomazi, Umjindi, Thaba Chweu, Bushbuckridge and Steve Tshwete local municipalities.