While sewage runs down the streets, water leakages result in massive losses, roads are crumbling and critical housing projects are left unfinished, Free State municipalities have forfeited a staggering total of R3,8 billion in conditional grants over the last eight financial years.
These funds which were specifically earmarked for addressing infrastructure crises have been returned to the National Treasury.
Municipalities forfeit their grants when the projects they are earmarked for are not completed within the specified time.
The biggest culprit was the Mangaung Metro, which had to repay more than R1,9 billion to the National Treasury.
Other municipalities that also suffered great losses include Ngwathe (R247 million) and Matjhabeng (R200 million).
These forfeited grants could have made a significant difference to infrastructure development, water and sanitation services, continuing existing service delivery and even economic growth.
Free State municipalities have demonstrated time and again that project management fails under ANC leadership. The culture of forfeiture in the Free State is out of control seeing as the provincial government also had to return R1,3 billion to the National Treasury in the last ten years.
These grants were specifically meant to improve poor communities’ quality of life.
Unfortunately, years of implementing misguided policies, such as Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) and Affirmative Action (AA), and an obsession with cadre deployment had the opposite effect.
The people of the Free State are paying the price for the ANC’s corrupt and incompetent governance.
