The report for the fourth quarter of the 2024/25 financial year once again demonstrates the decline of the Emfuleni Local Municipality (Evaton, Sebokeng, Vaal Oewer, Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging).
In the report, the Municipality is obviously grasping at straws in the form of a so-called turnaround strategy, which is not feasible in practice.
Instead of focusing on stabilising the Municipality’s finances, Emfuleni relies on unrealistic revenue projections to try and cover up its collapse.
The report does, however, acknowledge that the lack of financial sustainability, service delivery backlogs and several governance issues are jeopardising the Municipality’s future.
For residents, this means looming service disruptions, further deterioration of infrastructure and continued economic stagnation in the Vaal Triangle.
The so-called performance improvements in the report are superficial and fail to address the Municipality’s deep-rooted structural problems.
The service delivery problems that require immediate attention are:
• Outdated electricity, water and sanitation infrastructure leading to frequent sewage spills, water shortages and power outages.
• Potholes and crumbling roads.
• The rollout of prepaid electricity meters should continue, but in consultation with residents. Although residents now pay their electricity bills directly to Eskom, the company BXC Contractors remains responsible for installing prepaid meters.
• Top management positions that are currently vacant or filled in an acting capacity should be filled with qualified and competent officials to bring stability to the administration.
• Weak internal controls and inadequate oversight, which leave the door open to corruption and squandering of taxpayers’ money, have to be addressed.
The Freedom Front Plus has warned many times that it is not possible to save Emfuleni if the ANC remains in power.
The fourth quarterly report confirms this.
Without urgent intervention by a new government, free of the ANC, residents will continue to be plagued by corruption, incompetence and mismanagement.
