Gauteng municipalities owed R622 million by ANC Provincial Government

The Gauteng Provincial Government is hampering service delivery in the province’s municipalities as it currently owes a collective amount of R622 105 203.30 to local governments.

The amounts owed are as follows:

Home to the most affected residents, DA-led metropolitan municipalities make up the lion’s share of this debt.

Embattled local municipalities that are hardest hit by the provincial government’s failure to pay back money it owes.

ANC-run Emfuleni, Merafong City and Rand West City owe millions of rands to both Eskom and Rand Water. Emfuleni is already experiencing a decrease in water pressure as Rand Water has restricted flow due to the large debt the municipality is battling to service.

Gauteng MEC for Finance, Barbra Creecy, along with Cooperative Governance MEC, Paul Mashatile, have done very little in turning around the fortunes of these local municipalities and assisting them with servicing the debts they owe.

These local municipalities should have been placed under Section 139 administration to ensure that residents do not continue to suffer under ANC mismanagement.

Both MEC Creecy and Mashatile refuse to take this step because of the embarrassment it will cause to the ANC in the province, as it tries to give off the impression that it has a good story to tell.

If MECs Creecy and Mashatile cared as much for the residents of these municipalities as they did for the image of the ANC, then they would take decisive action and ensures that monies owed were paid timeously to ensure service delivery does not grind to a halt and that basic constitutional rights of residents are not threatened.

The DA will write to MEC Creecy to ensure that these monies are paid as soon as possible because the effects of non-payment will be detrimental to the wellbeing of residents.

Merafong streets and properties overflowing with raw sewage

The streets and home owners properties in Carletonville are once again flooded with raw sewage. (Photos can be accessed here)

Reports have been streaming in since Tuesday, and the Merafong City Local Municipality is not effectively responding to calls from residents or councillors.

In spite of numerous media articles and even a petition signed by thousands of residents, the local government of Merafong has plans or money to fix this situation.

This comes after reports this week that the Wedela waste water treatment works is still not operational, and is pumping 1,5 million litres of raw sewage into the Leeuspruit daily, which ends up in the Klipdrift Dam.

The DA laid charges in August against Merafong Mayor, Maphefo Mogale-Letsie, for contravening section 151 (i) and (j) of the National Water Act and exposing Merafong’s residents to contaminated and harmful drinking water. We are monitoring developments on this case closely.

It is a disgrace that ANC government has still not acted after the DA’s request for urgent intervention.

Any water-borne disease outbreak will lie squarely on Mayor Mogale-Letsie & COGTA MEC Jacob Mamabolo’s shoulders.

It is clear public money is not being spent on the people of Merafong.

The DA will continue holding the ANC run municipality to account for their failures.

Media enquiries:

Ina Cilliers MPL

DA Gauteng Constituency Head – Merafong City

060 556 4344

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