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Gauteng residents deprived of basic services with unfunded municipal budgets during 2021/22 financial year

Access to basic services such as electricity, water and sanitation by thousands of residents in seven local municipalities, including two district municipalities in Gauteng will be severely affected with these municipal councils having once again presented unfunded budgets for the 2021/22 financial year.

It is now becoming a norm that especially local municipalities are presenting unfunded budgets, which always results in a negative impact on service delivery.

Eskom and Rand Water are the two main creditors affected when an unfunded budget is presented by local municipalities, resulting in a reduction of services to our residents in the affected municipalities, such as scheduled electricity cuts during the day, making it even harder for residents to get by during the cold winter.

In response to my written questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL), the MEC for Finance and e-Government, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko revealed that the following municipalities have provided an unfunded budget for this financial year:

  • Mogale City Local Municipality
  • Lesedi Local Municipality
  • Emfuleni Local Municipality
  • Sedibeng District Municipality
  • Rand West Local Municipality
  • West Rand District Municipality
  • Merafong Local Municipality

It is appalling that thousands of residents living in these municipalities will be subjected to substandard service delivery or none at all because these municipalities do not have enough cash resources on hand to ensure that their creditors are paid on time.

This means that residents who are already suffering because of the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, now have to pay for services that they are not receiving on a regular basis.

In addition, where services such as electricity and water are affected, it means that our residents are unable to cook food for their families and regularly wash their hands.

Furthermore, small businesses are also affected by the constant disruption of electricity by Eskom due to load reduction, which means that they lose valuable clientele when they are unable to operate.

If MEC Nkomo-Ralehoko is serious about ensuring that all local municipalities are able to present funded budgets, she will as a matter of urgency, conduct an internal inquiry to ascertain exactly why it is that seven out of eight local municipalities are not able to present a funded budget year after year. This trend clearly points to poor planning on the part of the municipality and a lackadaisical approach to their responsibility of providing services to residents.

The DA-led Midvaal is the only local municipality that has presented a funded budget in the province. Midvaal is committed to ensuring that they have enough cash liquidity so that residents can get the service delivery they need and deserve. The DA will continue to shine the spotlight on the lack of service delivery in these seven municipalities as it is unfair that residents are not provided with what they truly deserve.

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Protest Action Rocks Unstable Merafong

Protest Action

Protest action has flared up in Merafong as municipal workers have blocked the council building with refuse removal trucks demanding payment for overtime work.

Workers at the protest claim that they have not been paid for the long hours of overtime that they have worked, citing that normal working hours are hampered by the unavailability of fuel and other tools they require to do their jobs.

Click here to view image.

Service delivery in the municipality has dropped to an all-time low with residents and businesses taking matters into their own hands by repairing potholes and cutting grass themselves.

Slow Service Delivery

Despite paying thousands of rands to the council to ensure that services are delivered, business in Carletonville have sent members of their own staff to repair damaged potholes in the area as the council refuses to do so.

Click here to view image.

These companies are also paying private security companies to guard substations to ensure that electricity is not disconnected.

Last year, a ring-feed cable was stolen, leaving some residents without power for up to seven months.

The cause of the slow delivery of services is due to the fact that the municipality claims that it does not have the resources to deliver on its mandate.

Municipal Public Accounts Committee

Merafong has one of the lowest collection rates in the province and instead of addressing its problems, it simply chooses to ignore them.

The financial mismanagement of this municipality has left its residents and businesses in a dire situation.

The DA insists that the Municipal Public Accounts Committee conduct an investigation into the financial mismanagement of this municipality. Residents of Merafong can no longer suffer under this uncaring ANC-led administration.

In DA governed municipalities, prudent financial management is executed to ensure that residents receive the services that they are constitutionally entitled to, but also that investors are attracted to the region to uplift and improve the quality of life for all.

 

 

Media Enquiries:

Ina Cilliers MPL

DA Gauteng Constituency Head – Merafong

060 556 4344

[Image source]

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Emfuleni’s Exorbitant Luxury Car Hire Costs

Emfuleni Local Municipality

In a reply to a DA question, Gauteng Cooperative Governance MEC, Paul Mashatile revealed that Emfuleni Local Municipality is hiring luxury cars at over R120 000 per month.

Thus far over half a million has been spent on hiring Mercedes Benz C Class vehicles for the Mayor and the Speaker of the council.

Click here to view the reply.

According to MEC Mashatile, these vehicles are courtesy vehicles whilst the Mayor and the Speaker’s official vehicles are in for service.

Ultimate Exotic Travel and Events

What makes no sense, is that these vehicles have been hired from January to September 2016. The official mayoral vehicles cannot possibly be in for a service every month.

The service provider, Ultimate Exotic Travel and Events have been raking up funds from the Municipality.

At over R120 000 per month per rental the Municipality could have bought a brand new small sedan or hatchback vehicle every month.

I will submit further questions to the MEC to get to the bottom of these rentals.

Cost-cutting measures should have been implemented in all municipalities in the province.

Hiring of luxury vehicles flies in the face of the many indigent residents of Emfuleni.

 

Media enquiries:

Kingsol Chabalala MPL

DA Gauteng Constituency Head – Emfuleni North

060 558 8299

[Image source]

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Officials In Emfuleni Extorting Artists By Requesting Bribes

Gauteng Arts, Culture, Sports and Recreation MEC Faith Mazibuko must explain what disciplinary action was taken against Emfuleni municipal officials caught for extorting bribes from artists.

Officials took a cut of the money paid out to the in reward for being contracted to perform at events.

Sources in the municipality have revealed to the DA that footage exists together with fleet records that expose the extent of the corruption.

The performing artists have been reimbursed by the very officials that took their money.

These officials were not disciplined nor suspended for fraudulent behaviour or even dismissed.

MEC Mazibuko must make public the findings from an investigation that was conducted earlier this year into the matter.

Those who are responsible for taking bribes must be brought to book.

We cannot condone corruption by slapping wrongdoers on the wrist and not take any serious action.

The buck stops with the MEC.

 

Media enquiries:

Kingsol Chabalala MPL

DA Gauteng Spokesperson on Sport, Recreation, Arts, Culture and Heritage

060 558 8299

[Image source]