Traditional leaders who attended the recent Thulamela integrated development programme (IDP)  meeting in Thohoyandou, said it augured well for the municipality that it consulted them before implementing the municipal budget.

The meeting took place last Wednesday and different stakeholders attended the meeting.

A draft budget of more than R600 million was tabled for the 2012/13 financial year.

Speaking after the meeting, Chief Tshitondovhe Ligege said for a long time the municipality had been ignoring areas under traditional leadership when it came to service delivery. "Areas under traditional leaders are not well looked after and there is always a dire need for service. People are without water in most instances and these people are on the receiving end as they are engulfed in poverty. We just hope that, by involving us, things will change for the better," he said.

He said the municipality did not know the community's needs and consulting them would help give a clear picture about the state of areas under traditional rule. Ligege added that he was happy that they were able to tell the municipality what they needed in the villages. "We hope the municipality will remember this when they prepare their budget," he said.

In an interview, Thulamela Mayor Cllr Grace Mahosi said IDP meetings were important as they gave the muncipality insight into what the people wanted. "We are a democratic government and we work according to the wishes of the people. They should tell us what they want and we consolidate everything."