The Merafong Local Municipality has wasted R4 million on a draft organisational structure that does not comply with the Municipal Staff Regulations of 2021. This, while service delivery is nearly non-existent in Merafong. The assessment was issued in an interim review by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA).
According to the correspondence seen by the Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng, the submission consisted only of PowerPoint slides and failed to align with any of the three functional structure options developed in collaboration with CoGTA and Lekoko Consulting.
For perspective, that same amount could have been used to reduce Merafong’s debt to Rand Water or to repair thousands of square metres of pothole-damaged roads across the municipality. According to estimates from SANRAL, 4 million rand could fix over 2000 potholes.
CoGTA notes multiple areas of non-compliance:
• No structure submitted for the political office.
• Misplacement of core functions, such as communication, energy, and library services.
• Absence of a service delivery model.
• Span of control violations and unclear role delineation.
• Lack of alignment with strategic priorities and regulatory norms.
The department states that the municipality’s submission is bloated, fragmented, and not cost-effective. It does not demonstrate clarity of mandate, nor does it support decision-making.
The public deserves to know how R4 million was spent without producing a compliant structure. This is not a technical oversight—it is a governance failure that produced no value for the residents of Merafong.
The DA Gauteng will submit written questions to determine what action the GPG will take, including a deadline for the outline of an urgent corrective plan.
A DA Gauteng-led provincial government would ensure that all organisational structures submitted to CoGTA for municipalities align with the Municipal Staff Regulations of 2021.
Residents deserve a municipality with a working plan, not a slideshow. We encourage members of the public to attend Council meetings, request access to the report, and insist on real accountability.