Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) residents continue to suffer the consequences of poor service delivery, partly due to ineffective leadership and the municipality’s financial crisis, which has led to overall service delivery collapse. Amid this troubling scenario, the Speaker of Emfuleni Council, Councillor Sibongile Soxuza, has squandered over half a million rand on soccer tournaments organised by her office.
This information was revealed by the Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Jacob Mamabolo, in a written reply to the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL).
According to MEC Mamabolo, the Speaker’s Office has spent R606 377.50 hosting soccer tournaments over the last three years. Of this amount, R298 377.50 was spent in 2022, R161 000.00 in 2023, and R147 000.00 in 2024.
MEC Mamabolo further reveals that the Speakers’ Office received donations which include the following: soccer kits, balls, trophies, tracksuits, medals, and certificates. These donations were given to the participating teams as prizes.
See full reply here.
This is a glaring misuse of public funds by those in power in Emfuleni, tragically undermining the delivery of quality services to our people. We must question how over half a million rand was spent, especially considering that the prizes awarded to the participating teams were donated to the municipality rather than paid for.
This money spent on a few days’ events could have been used to improve the poor sporting infrastructure in this municipality and nurture grassroots sports development.
This situation demonstrates that the residents of Emfuleni are not deprived of services due to a lack of funds, but rather because of poor financial management, ineffective leadership, and corruption, all of which must be strongly condemned.
The DA Gauteng will submit follow-up questions to MEC Mamabolo to determine how the Speakers’ Office spent every rand and cent of the allocated amount for hosting these tournaments.
A DA-led Gauteng Provincial Government would allocate resources to enhance sports infrastructure across our municipalities. This encompasses the upgrade of recreational facilities, sports fields, and community centres. These investments will create lasting benefits. They will expand opportunities for athletes to engage in sports and promote community involvement.