Note to Editors: Please find attached soundbite by Kingsol Chabalala MPL here.
The cash-strapped Emfuleni Local Municipality has spent R39 000 000 paying service providers to clear and clean illegal dumping sites for the past five years, while the municipal waste removal workers continue to claim overtime for the same services.
Emfuleni residents have now resorted to disposing of their refuse at various illegal dumping sites because the municipality is failing to render refuse removal services on a regular basis which poses a health hazard.
This was revealed by the Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Lebogang Maile in a written reply to the DA’s question tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).
According to MEC Maile, 11 service providers have been appointed in the past five financial years to clean and clear the illegal dumping sites in Emfuleni.
The municipality has been spending an average of R73 920.00 per service provider per month for the past five financial years.
Furthermore, MEC Maile states that the municipality is not capacitated enough to handle illegal dump removals.
The DA believes that this municipality is well capacitated to handle illegal dump removals instead of wasting money on appointing external service providers to do the work.
This municipality continues to pay overtime to waste removal employees as R40 million have been spent in the last five financial years, yet there are service providers appointed to render the same services.
The waste removal employees should be doing the work instead of milking this municipality while there is nothing to show for the work done.
Recently, the municipality was offered a free service to clean dumping sites by a private company but refused to use it and opted instead to pay for the services.
MEC Maile has failed to establish a plan to save Emfuleni from corruption and maladministration. Therefore, the DA will be writing to the Office of the Public Protector to investigate the issue of waste removal in Emfuleni. The DA will not sit with folded hands while corrupt politicians continue to loot the money meant to deliver services to our people.