Chronic Corruption and Maladministration
Emfuleni Local Municipality has been plagued with chronic corruption and maladministration that is crippling the municipality and has adversely affected the delivery of quality services to the residents of the municipality.
On many occasions, official communication from the municipality have denied their involvement in bungled tenders, poor service delivery and officials doing business with the municipality.
The DA will outline the scandals, service delivery issues, counts of corruption and money wasted in the municipality.
(Click here to access the press conference document).
Oversight Visits
It is high time that the residents of Emfuleni are made aware of how the ANC under the leadership of Mayor Simon Mofokeng, has brought this municipality to its knees.
During the past few months, the DA have asked many questions and conducted oversight visits to projects costing millions of rands, yet only empty sites remain.
I have travelled throughout Emfuleni and surrounding areas talking to residents and hearing their daily plight. Every single petition and community protest have fallen on deaf ears.
The residents of Emfuleni, especially the elderly and frail, have told me how difficult it is for them to take a bath or to prepare food for their loved ones.
Young people have told me of their plight in searching for a job as many of the facilities have no internet access. They cannot even visit the Boipatong Memorial and Youth Centre as it has been closed since inception.
No Action Against Corrupt Officials
The past few months, I, together with my colleagues in Emfuleni dug up what we deem to cost more than R400 million worth of corruption, inflated pricing and bungled tenders.
Poor administration have made matters worse, as very little to no action has been taken against corrupt officials.
Here is a list of headlines, which the DA has exposed to the public:
- Billing scandal: DA uncovers massive organised crime syndicate in Emfuleni;
- R14m roads & storm water project failure;
- Nguna and U-street: R14m later, still no tarred road;
- Dickinson Park – R52 million park – no equipment, no child’s-play;
- Residents of Sebokeng fed up with ANC jobs-for-pals schemes;
- Sharpeville ECD – still not open to service the community;
- Evaton Traffic Precinct R18 million later – still not precinct;
- Emfuleni Fire Brigade on a go-slow due to wage dispute;
- Emfuleni appoints Sedtrade with a contract value of over R150 million with no experience;
- The Mayor acknowledged a sum of R30 million lost to fraud. There has been no further attempt to recover the lost funds;
Public Funds Lost to Fraud and Corruption
All of our attempts have fallen on deaf ears from the Provincial Government to the Local Council and we have no other choice but to approach the Public Protector to investigate each and every transaction, interaction and pending investigations that might have been shelved by the municipality.
We will, in support of the Public Protectors investigation provide every piece of evidence, photos, transaction details, names of officials and responses from the MECs and we will work tirelessly to bring about change and once and for all expose the Emfuleni Local Municipality for fraud, corruption, maladministration and poor service delivery.
I will therefore be making this submission to the Public Protector to investigate public funds lost to fraud and corruption the tune of over R400 million.
Residents of Emfuleni now have a choice. They can either choose the status quo of corruption, empty and broken promises, poor service delivery and high unemployment, or they can choose the change that a DA-run local government can bring.
Media enquiries:
Kingsol Chabalala MPL
DA Mayoral Candidate for Emfuleni
060 558 8299