April 2023 - Gauteng

April 28, 2023May 2, 2023

Merafong Municipality Underspends While Services Suffer

The Democratic Alliance raised serious concerns about the financial health of the ANC-run Merafong Local Municipality at a special council meeting held on the 25^th of April 2023. At this meeting, the municipality tabled its financial report in terms of section 71 of the Municipal Finance Management Act. The report showed, amongst other facts, that the municipality had underspent by R597-million, or 37% of its budget up to March 2023. The report also showed that the municipality had underspent on its capital budget by R135-million, or 69%.

The worst underperforming area was infrastructure development, which underspent by a whopping R397-million.

This shows that the municipality is not spending either on maintenance or new projects, despite the dire state of services across the municipality. Large parts of the municipality do not have any working streetlights, and water and energy outages have become normalized. Critical maintenance is backlogged for years. New infrastructure projects are delayed endlessly, and communities in dire need are not getting the services they need.

Even worse, the municipality is in major debt to Eskom for energy supply, which has seen load reduction implemented from time to time in addition to loadshedding. These failures are damaging the economy of the municipality and contributing to increasing poverty and unemployment in the area.

The DA attempted to have the report put to a vote in council but the speaker refused, in violation of the Standing Orders of Council.

It is clear that under the current administration, Merafong Local Municipality is going to continue to fail residents on the basics. The DA will be exploring all mechanisms in the MFMA to both force accountability in the council as well as fight to get services back on track.

April 26, 2023April 26, 2023

Load-shedding impacts Gauteng poultry farmers’ production

Gauteng residents may have to fork out more money for basic food items like chicken because of the current power crisis experienced across the country.

The Poultry industry in Gauteng is facing severe challenges because of the continuous rolling blackouts. This has been made worse by the increased cost of living.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) recently engaged with the South African Poultry Association to understand exactly what challenges the higher stages of load-shedding bring to their industry.

During our discussion, we discovered that during stage five load-shedding, the slaughterhouse programme is interrupted. The chickens are usually slaughtered at six weeks as they are the right size needed for fast food restaurants and retailers.

Slaughtering takes place 24 hours per day, five days a week. But because of the rolling blackouts at stages five and six, there is a backlog in the slaughtering process. This means that the chickens are older, larger and consume more feed.

The price of chicken has risen, leading to fewer consumers purchasing the product. Furthermore, the market for larger chickens is limited.

This leads to farmers having larger chickens roaming around, leading to an increase in feed requirements.

To make matters worse, the provincial government seems unmoved by the disastrous effect the rolling blackouts have created amongst those responsible for food security in the province.

The DA has already tabled questions in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL) to determine what assistance has been given to poultry farmers in the province. In addition, we are requesting that government remove the Value Added Tax (VAT) on all chicken products. We will keep pushing for an inter-governmental task team to be established to put measures in place to mitigate the effects of the rolling blackouts in the province.

The national government should urgently consider privatising Eskom to put an end to cadre deployment and only employ officials who are fit for purpose. The provincial government should also provide incentives for rooftop solar installations and allow excess electricity to be fed back into the grid.

April 26, 2023April 26, 2023

OR Tambo Precinct an insult to Oliver Tambo’s legacy

The ANC’s tribute to the renowned liberation struggle stalwart Oliver Reginald Tambo is mere lip service and an insult to his legacy because of the sad state of the OR Tambo Precinct in Benoni, Ekurhuleni, which has been neglected and is not operational.

The R54 million state-of-the-art facility which consists of a multi-purpose centre, amphitheatre, environmental centre, and displays on the history of OR Tambo is not benefitting the residents of Ekurhuleni due to its poor workmanship. There is a need for an additional R10 million to fix the structural deficits.

Furthermore, this precinct is not included in the approved municipal organogram.

For far too long, the DA has been calling on the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation (SACR) to fix the structural deficits of this facility and ensure that it is fully operational.

Delays in fixing this facility will result in more damage to the structure and the accumulation of more costs.

Please see images here, here, here and here.

Based on previous experience, the longer such facilities remain abandoned, they become vulnerable to vandalism and theft.

The DA will write to the Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, demanding his urgent intervention to ensure that this facility is fixed and operational. We will also demand his interventions to ensure that this precinct is included in the municipality’s organogram so that a human resource structure is adopted, and the precinct is opened so that the residents of Ekurhuleni can finally benefit from it.

April 25, 2023April 25, 2023

Drastic shortage of condoms in Gauteng

Five years ago, 189 million male condoms and 7.3 million female condoms were distributed in Gauteng, but this has fallen drastically, with only 14.7 million male condoms and 1.2 million female condoms distributed from January to March this year. This amounts to an annual total of 58.8 million male condoms and 5 million female condoms.

This information is revealed in a written reply by Gauteng Health MEC Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko to my questions in the Legislature.

According to the MEC:

“Contract RT75_condom suppliers didn’t have stock to deliver to Province from the
inception of the new contract in February 2022 as suppliers were awaiting SABS sample
approval prior ordering bulk stock from the manufacturers.”

The shortages have been experienced in all five health districts in Gauteng,

Nkomo-Ralehoko says the condom shortage leads to an increase in Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STIs). This includes Male Urethritis Syndrome which increased from 5486 in February 2022 to 6035 in February this year.

Since the high point of condom distribution in 2017/18, there has been a downward trend in the number of condoms distributed. In 2021/22 only 129 million male condoms and 5.2 million female condoms were distributed- a 45% decline.

It is disgraceful that a common item like condoms are in short supply in Gauteng. They have a vital role to play in family planning as well as prevention of HIV/Aids and other STIs.

We need to get the basics right in healthcare in Gauteng. This includes proper contract management so that reliable and cost- effective suppliers are always chosen, rather than companies that don’t deliver.

April 25, 2023April 25, 2023

ANC determined to expropriate land without compensation despite failing to pass Constitution Amendment Bill

It is worrying that the ANC is determined to bulldoze ‘nil compensation’ into section 12 of the Expropriation Bill. Dates and venues have been announced for public hearings on the bill in Gauteng.

This follows their failure to pass the Constitution 18th Amendment Bill, which sought to amend Section 25 of the Constitution to allow for the expropriation of land without compensation.

The ruling party refuses to acknowledge how the interference in private property rights will cause massive economic harm. The current bill will deter investment, restrict growth and worsen the unemployment crisis. This will force millions more people into joblessness, poverty, and hunger.

The ANC wrongly frames the bill as a land reform instrument and seeks to lull citizens into believing it is only under very specific circumstances that nil compensation can be offered. All South Africans will find themselves vulnerable to expropriation, for zero or inadequate compensation, by hundreds of cash-strapped municipalities and other organs of state. It is not just land and buildings but also intangible assets that may be expropriated.

The duplicity of the ANC in Gauteng was demonstrated when their Chief Whip, Lesego Makhubela, indicated that they would lobby for the total removal of compensation under any circumstances to what he called “land-thieves”. His racist tirade included an attack on an Indian family who owns large tracts of land around the Waterfall Estate in northern Johannesburg.

Increasingly, as the election approaches, we are seeing more and more extreme left-wing positions being taken by senior officials in the ruling party. This is a warning that to retain political power, the ANC is prepared to sink the country.

In addition to the concern about the constitutionality of the bill, some clauses are vague, which opens the risk to a rapacious government which may wish to unjustly enrich itself or its connected cadres at the expense of private property owners.

Our residents will not have a thriving future under the ANC. This is why it is of utmost importance that all our residents participate in the public hearings on this bill. The defeat of the Expropriation Bill and the election in 2024 provide an opportunity to build a better future.

April 25, 2023April 25, 2023

DA welcomes the resignation of Thapelo Amad and announces Dr Mpho Phalatse as the candidate for Mayor

The DA welcomes the resignation of Thapelo Amad as mayor of Johannesburg. It is clear that during his short time in office, Amad fell far short of the requirements for the position.

It is disappointing that Amad, another puppet mayor, was manipulated by the ANC/EFF/PA coalition of corruption for their personal gain. By supporting Amad as mayor the ANC/EFF/PA sabotaged service delivery and placed their personal interests above the interest of Johannesburg residents.

They suspended investigations into corruption, that had been initiated under the DA multiparty coalition, and re-instated officials accused of corruption.

Amad was forced to resign before a motion of no confidence to remove him would almost certainly have passed at the Council meeting on 25 April.

This meeting has been postponed till 2 May, when a new mayor will be elected.

The ANC/EFF/PA coalition does not yet have a “compromise candidate” to replace Amad, and behind the scenes horse-trading for positions has commenced, ignoring the interests of residents of Johannesburg. The DA will nominate Dr. Mpho Phalatse as our mayoral candidate. Dr. Phalatse has a proven track record and an understanding of the needs of the people of Johannesburg.

April 25, 2023April 25, 2023

Irregularly appointed graduates cost the Gauteng Department of Agriculture over R2 million

The Gauteng Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will be spending R2 436 000 per year on salaries for the 28 agriculture graduates that were irregularly appointed during the 2022/2023 financial year. The graduates have been given a contract for 24 months.

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has seen the advertisement that went out last year January. Fourteen graduates will be taught new techniques as it pertains to livestock farming. The other 14 will be trained in assisting with crop farming.

The training of graduates in new agriculture techniques is critical if we want to ensure that there is food security in the province. However, we remain concerned about how these graduates have been employed.

We eagerly await the reply to our written questions tabled to the MEC for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mbali Hlophe, on this matter. The Chief Director for this department did not have the authority to appoint these graduates and flouted HR regulations.

This irregular behaviour cannot be tolerated. We need to ensure that all procedures put in place by the government to curb corruption and prevent any forms of nepotism are adhered to. The DA will continue to put pressure on the MEC to ensure that all officials follow the correct procedure when appointing all staff members.

April 24, 2023April 24, 2023

NPO funding: Premier Lesufi halts budget cuts after public outcry

The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng welcomes Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s intervention in the reprioritisation of funds to NPOs after sustained pressure by the DA and affected NPOs.

During a media interview this morning, Premier Lesufi indicated he would meet with the MEC for Social Development, Mbali Hlophe and the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) to discuss the matter.

We welcome this announcement by the Premier; however, if he is indeed serious about reversing the current budget proposal, then a restructuring of the department’s budget should be undertaken to ensure that the negative impact on NPOs is mitigated while new focus areas are also supported. The DA would like to see a demand-driven budget and not one that is arbitrarily changed.

During the reprioritisation of funds, the following categories of NPOs were affected:
• R71.5 million taken from the NPOs that care for the elderly,
• R50 million taken from disabled persons NPOs budget,
• R238.6 million taken from HIV/AIDS and children NPOs budget,
• R57 million taken from care and services to families NPOs budget,
• R70 million taken from Child and Youth Care Centres (CYCC),
• R46.5 million was taken from the community-based care for children NPOs budget.

The DA calls on the Premier along with MEC Hlophe to urgently attend to the restructuring of the department’s budget and reallocation of funds, and present the new social development budget to the Gauteng Legislature as a matter of urgency.

It is of utmost that when budgets are reprioritised that all vulnerable residents are still able to access the same level of services without feeling the pinch.