Only six out of the 76 engineers appointed at municipalities in the Free State are registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA).
This is evident from the reply by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, to a parliamentary question from the FF Plus.
The reply serves as proof that ANC councils' obsession with the ruling party's cadre deployment, and Affirmative Action (AA) and Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) policies is damaging the province's service delivery and infrastructure.
At present, there are 58 vacant positions for electrical (29) and civil (29) engineers.
Many Free State municipalities' road, water and sewage infrastructure is in critical condition. In many towns, sewage runs down streets that are neither tarred nor repaired.
The terrible conditions under which residents live can only be turned around if expert and registered engineers are appointed.
The harsh reality is that the ANC in the Free State would rather outsource work and appoint individuals with political ties who are not qualified to do the work.
Municipalities, like Matjhabeng, spend millions on contractors to patch up broken sewage lines, but do nothing to upgrade the decaying infrastructure.
The ANC is exchanging experts for cadres while squandering money that should have been used for service delivery.
The FF Plus will pose questions to the provincial Department of COGTA insisting that the MEC, Mr Mxolisi Dukwana, must indicate how the Department will ensure that enough registered engineers are appointed at municipalities.
The people of the Free State deserve better than the ANC.
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