The Emfuleni Local Municipality has failed to spend R169 627 899,00 of the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG), yet it is faced with a financial crisis that has resulted in the collapse of service delivery.
This money could have been used to complete unfinished projects such as the Evaton and Dadaville bulk water supply, upgrade the cemeteries, and sewer lines and fix roads.
This information was revealed by the Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Mzi Khumalo, in a written reply to the DA’s questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).
According to MEC Khumalo, the amounts returned to the treasury in the past five financial years are as follows:
• 2018/19 financial year: R34 736 753.00
• 2019/20 financial year: R72 643 681.20
• 2020/21 financial year: R50 471 732.30
• 2021/22 financial year: R11 775 732.30
There is nothing to show where the municipality claims to have spent its Municipal Infrastructure Grant, such as R24 million spent on Palm Springs multipurpose sports centre. In addition, the money was spent on landfills, yet there is no regular refuse removal.
The Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs has failed the residents of Emfuleni as none of its interventions in the Emfuleni Muncipality has yielded positive results.
The DA demands that the Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi implement a turnaround strategy to fix this broken municipality. The strategy must have timelines and be made public so that his government can be held to account. The residents of Emfuleni have suffered enough and deserve a government that will prioritise service delivery.