Note to Editors: Plesae find English and Afrikaans soundbites by Nicholas Gotsell MP here, and here
The Democratic Alliance (DA) welcomes the Hawks’ investigation into alleged mismanagement and possible corruption at Merafong Municipality and calls on Police bosses to prioritise the finalisation thereof. The Hawks is said to have been at Merafong Municipality on Monday, with regards to the missing R5 million.
Whilst many Gauteng learners last week returned to schools mismanaged by a dysfunctional, sinking ANC-led Gauteng government, the children in Khutsong returned to an actual sinking school at Hlanganani Primary in the Merafong Municipality – also mismanaged by the ANC.
In the 2023/2024 financial year, the Municipality received a sum of R17 million towards addressing sinkhole problems. R12 million of this amount was obtained from the Gauteng Department of Human Settlements. The funds were designated for the refurbishing of the Phabane and Sompane Road sinkholes.
Last year, the Municipality received an additional R5 million from the Provincial Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA). This amount was intended for the rehabilitation of the Hlanganani Primary School sinkhole, which has raised alarms regarding the safety of students and staff, however, it has emerged that the allocation was spent on a Limpopo contractor who has only travelled to the municipality to write a concept document. No actual work has been done to rehabilitate the area around the school.
During an oversight visit by the Select Committee on Petitions and Executive Undertakings in November 2024, it emerged that besides the Hlanganani sinkhole, there are several other critical sinkhole areas in Khutsong that need urgent attention. These sinkholes pose a risk to infrastructure and the safety of residents in these communities.
Residents in Merafong continue to be displaced and moved due to the forming of new sinkholes, to RDP houses that do not have electricity or running water. They deserve urgent answers as to the allegations levelled against the Municipal Manager and Chief Financial Officer.
We welcome the recent confirmation by the Chairperson of the Select Committee that the committee has prioritised further engagements with various spheres of government to ensure accountability and transparency.
The DA is ready to ask tough questions when the Select Committee meets with the Gauteng Provincial Government’s Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs to explain how financial resources are being distributed and utilised to address pressing governance and service delivery challenges in the Merafong Municipality effectively.