Tomorrow, Monday 23 March 2015, DA Gauteng Provincial Leader, John Moodey, DA Ekurhuleni caucus leader, Cllr Fortune Mahano and DA Ekurhuleni caucus members will brief the media over the true state of the Ekurhuleni metropolitan municipality.
The briefing will take place outside the Wanneburg Clinic in the informal settlement of Makause near Primrose, Germiston, where the DA will present its policy alternatives in the run up to Executive Mayor Mondli Gungubele’s State of the City Address on Wednesday.
Event Details
Date: Monday, 23 March 2015
Time: 09:30
Venue: Wanneburg Clinic, Pretoria Road, (between Bus and Mimosa Roads) Primrose
The R7 million catchment wall situated in the Esselen Park Ext 3 RDP development, Ekurhuleni meant to protect the development from excess water flow is collapsing – putting many lives and property at risk.
Houses built on the periphery of this wall are at risk of serious damage due to the instability of the ground on which it is built.
This is compounded by the inadequate storm water system that cannot cope with excess water during periods of heavy rain.
As a result, this wall has shifted and has already collapsed in parts.
Despite numerous attempts by DA Ekurhuleni Ward Councillor, Johann Jordaan, to have this issue addressed by both Ekurhuleni’s Housing and Storm Water Departments, the situation has deteriorated.
I will write to the MEC for Cooperative Governance, Traditional Affairs and Housing, Jacob Mamabolo and insist that he intervene urgently – before there is an unnecessary loss of human life.
Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport (GDRT) MEC, Ismail Vadi and Head of Department (HOD), Ronald Swartz are condoning attempts by senior management to silence a whistle-blower who has attempted to expose corrupt and collusive activities.
Irregularities
According to DA information the whistle-blower has attempted to report sever financial irregularities to both the MEC and HOD, only to find himself having being suspended.
The whistle-blower alleges how he had uncovered what appears to be the irregular appointment of one senior official, but also how this official and the person who allegedly colluded to ensure her appointment, irregularly awarded tenders to the value of R19.5 million.
The whistle blower alleges that the tenders were awarded in contravention of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), Treasury Regulations and department financial controls.
Investigation and the Lack of Political Will
After no action was taken by the HOD, this matter was raised with the MEC, again to no avail.
This matter has been the subject of a Public Service Commission investigation, a report which the whistle-blower claims has been ignored by the MEC and HOD.
Once again, we are exposed to the nefarious workings of officials employed in departments throughout Gauteng and the lack of political will to tackle these issues head on.
What is of utmost concern is that when officials attempt to do the right thing, they are maligned by those in the upper echelons of power.
Gauteng Premier, David Makhura’s much lauded approach to corruption needs to be put to task in instances such as these.
The DA will follow this case up with both the Premier Makhura and MEC Vadi as a matter of urgency.
The failed merger of the Megatong and Sediba-Thuto primary schools in Soweto needs to be urgently addressed.
Megatong was meant to be merged with Sediba-Thuto in 2008 and then shut down as a legal entity. However, parents alleged the merger was forced and resorted to protests to oppose it.
According to investigations by Harris Nupen Molebatsi Attorneys, the district office allowed the schools to be run as two separate entities.
Of further concern is that Department of Education records indicate that Megatong Primary received an annual budget allocation until the end of 2011, despite the fact that it was supposedly merged with Sediba-Thuto in 2008.
Poor leadership, lack of public consultation on the part of the Education Department and opposition to the merger has caused the poor education of Megatong’s learners.
Quality Education
The school has two teachers for 123 pupils, forcing it to combine grade 1 and 2 as well as grade 4 and 5 classes into single classes.
The school has no electricity, no budget for operating costs, and outstanding teacher salaries backdating to April 2014.
Quality education is critical to develop the young people of Gauteng, but this can only happen through consultative decisions between the Education Department, schools, parents and school governing bodies.
Gauteng MEC for Education Panyaza Lesufi needs to pay urgent attention to this failed merger, and address the lack of resources and teacher salaries at Megatong.
Gauteng Community Safety MEC, Sizakele Nkosi-Malobane this week announced that the Gauteng Drug Master Plan will only be implemented in Gauteng September 2015, despite that the national plan had been approved and adopted in 2013.
The fact is that the Community Safety Department is dragging its feet to implement a plan approved and formalised on a national level two years, only increases the risk to Gauteng families. The delayed process is disheartening and undermines the people of Gauteng.
Crime Related Drugs
According to CrimeStatsSA’s drug related crime figures, Gauteng precincts reported 59 317 cases of drug related crimes and driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol in 2013 ; and 98 977 in 2014 – a 40 % increase. The ever increasing figures in the last two years are evident that a concerted effort in the war against drugs and drug abuse is urgently needed.
Specialized Drug Units
The announcement by MEC Nkosi-Malobane of having started negotiations around re- introducing specialized units within the province with the Police Minister Nathi Nhleko as well as National Police Commissioner Riah Phiyega is much welcomed.
We will continue to put pressure on MEC Nkosi-Malobane to get these units re-introduced and hold her accountable to her promises.
The “People’s Premier” David Makhura – who initially commenced his term of office by making all the right noises on corruption, has finally started to show his true colours.
Despite promising the people of Gauteng that the cornerstones of his administration would be transparency and openness, the Premier has retreated to the tried and tested mantle for which the ANC is notorious – obfuscation and half-truths.
In his responses to questions on corruption investigations since he took office in June 2014, the premier undertook to respond in writing and in full.
However, the written response was kept deliberately vague, only stating that 43 investigations have been initiated, and that 17 had been concluded.
As for details over the 17 concluded investigations, Premier Makhura resorted to using broad ambiguous strokes in an attempt to pacify the opposition.
No mention is made of action taken following the outcome of investigations – only, that “relevant departments would implement recommendations”.
No mention is made of which departments were affected and what recommendations were made.
It is quite clear that the premier’s response was crafted in such a manner so as not to transgress any of the Legislature’s Rules of Order, while at the same time protecting his government from closer scrutiny.
To this end the DA will submit follow-up questions to his office demanding the full particulars of each investigation, including departments concerned, investigation reports as well as their recommendations. We will also ask the premier to provide us with full details as to whether affected departments have implemented those recommendations, and if not, why not.
The DA will continue to hold Premier Makhura and his government to account until each and every corrupt official has been brought to book.
Media enquiries Janet Semple MPL DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Economic Development 082 462 8239
Public Access to Information Act and Tender Documents
Today the DA lodged an application in terms of the Public Access to Information Act (PAIA) to obtain the tender documents relating to the procurement of tablets and 3G connectivity for schools, which the Auditor-General found to have been awarded irregularly to suppliers in violation of supply chain management regulations.
These tenders amounted to R500 million.
This was disclosed in the annual report for the Gauteng Department of Finance.
Gauteng Finance MEC, Barbara Creecy, promised a full scale investigation in September 2014 during a debate on the annual report.
However, some six months later, nothing further has been announced and no action appears to have been taken.
The MEC has not mentioned the matter subsequent to this debate.
Gauteng Online, Gauteng Offline
It is unsettling that the MEC only spoke of the investigation in September 2014, when the DA has seen correspondence from the Auditor-General – as far back as May 2014, indicating that the tenders were irregular.
Of particular concern is that the contract for 3G connectivity was awarded to the same supplier who was awarded the Gauteng Online tender, which was meant to provide and manage computer labs to schools.
The project was marred by problems and derided as Gauteng Offline – which is now being replaced with tablets.
The application for the tender documents is done in the interests of transparency and accountability.
The DA will further demand through questions, and processes in the Gauteng Legislature, that the MEC provide answers as to why there has been no progress reported on the investigation.
Media enquiries: Ashor Sarupen MPL DA Gauteng Spokesperson on Finance 076 334 5147
The re-opening of operating theatres at the Pretoria West Hospital has been delayed by more than two years because of a slow air-conditioning contractor.
This is revealed in a written reply by Infrastructure Development MEC Nandi Mayathula-Khoza to my questions in the Gauteng Legislature.
The refurbishment started on 12 October 2012 and was supposed to be completed on 1 February 2013.
Late Installation
But according to Mayathula-Khoza, Cool Breeze Air-conditioning and Refrigeration started the installation late and a strained relationship between them and a sub-contractor also contributed to the delay.
The handover of the project will be later this month, but the theatres won’t be operational for several more months as testing and deep cleaning needs to be done.
Warning letters were sent to the contractor on 28 October 2014 and 24 November 2014. They are currently placed on terms and incurring penalties of R2846 per day.
R4.5 million has so far been spent on this project, and it is expected that another R1.132 million will be spent to complete it.
It is outrageous that a 5 month project has taken more than two and a half years, during which time no surgery could be performed at the hospital and patients had to be transferred elsewhere for operations.
Infrastructure Development Department needs a shake-up
It is yet another example of the department’s abysmal incompetence that includes a poor choice of contractor and a lack of project management to avoid delays.
For instance, why was the first warning letter only sent in October 2014 when the project was supposed to be finished 20 months earlier?
Meanwhile, patients have suffered because surgery could not be done at the hospital.
The Infrastructure Development Department needs a management shake-up to ensure that hospital projects are completed expeditiously.
Gauteng MEC for Human Settlements, Jacob Mamabolo yesterday admitted to Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Human Settlements that that the three major municipalities in Gauteng, Ekurhuleni, Johannesburg and Tshwane had failed to spend R3.4 billion on housing projects during the 2013/14 financial year.
The ongoing violent service delivery protests in places such as Thembelihle signify further problems within the Department.
These events contradict the statements made by the MEC in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature that a turnaround strategy has been formalized to correct issues in housing delivery.
The truth of the matter is that the turnaround strategy is in the planning stages and a long way away from being implemented.
The more MEC Mamabolo claims that his house is in order the more events on the ground indicate a department mired with incompetence and inefficiency.
No concrete proposals have been presented to the Human Settlements committee to indicate any path to dealing with the myriad of problems that exist.
The DA will continue to monitor the department and the eventual implementation of the turnaround strategy.
Residents of Winnie Mandela in Tembisa north, Ekurhuleni, took to the streets last night burning down the local clinic and destroying 11 municipal vehicles’ as they vented their anger over the disconnection of illegal power connections.
The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) is currently carrying out a campaign to deal with illegal power connections that cost the Metro millions of rands every year.
Illegal connections are not only dangerous but they also impact negatively on the metro’s revenue collection – ultimately effecting service delivery.
While the DA condemns the violent protests in Winnie Mandela, the EMM has brought this situation upon itself by failing to electrify the rapidly expanding Winnie Mandela Section.
To further infuriate residents, EMM Mayor, Mondlie Gungubele – when visiting the area, allegedly informed residents that “we will fight you over illegal connections”, instead of providing a viable strategy to electrify the area.
Residents in Winnie Mandela who are connected and pay electricity are unfairly caught in the middle of this situation.
I will liaise with my fellow DA colleagues in Ekurhuleni to ensure that the EMM address the electricity supply in this area as a matter of urgency. Media enquiries: Graham Gersbach MPL DA Constituency Head – Bronberg 060 556 4346