A thorough analysis of the Ekurhuleni Metro’s unaudited annual report and financial statements for 2024/25 reveals serious shortcomings in governance, service delivery and financial accountability.
The report indicates that the Metro reached only 79% of its targets, with 21% completely unmet. This figure may seem acceptable at first glance, but closer scrutiny reveals that the Metro failed miserably in performing its core functions.
The Finance Department achieved only 56% of its targets, despite an annual budget exceeding R50 billion.
The Service Delivery Coordination Division failed to perform and did not meet a single target. Clearly, there is no coherent strategy to coordinate basic services such as water, electricity and refuse removal.
Unfortunately, the divisions that achieved 100% of their targets are predominantly supportive and not responsible for service delivery.
The report confirms that the Metro suffers losses amounting to millions annually due to cable theft and infrastructure vandalism. These criminal acts result in prolonged power outages, significant repair costs and even fires, causing further damage.
The Metro had to spend over R150 million on repairing stolen cables and vandalised power infrastructure in the 2024/25 financial year alone. This money is desperately needed elsewhere for road repairs, sewage treatment plants and water networks.
While the Metro has initiated new projects relating to reservoirs, transformer upgrades and streetlights, they will be a waste of capital without proper maintenance and protection against vandalism.
The Metro made grand promises about job creation, but the annual report shows that most targets were not met – in an area where 36,5% of residents are unemployed and youth unemployment far exceeds 40%.
Up to 28,9% of residents live below the poverty line, meaning nearly one in three residents does not have enough food to ensure basic survival.
Moreover, less than 60% of the scheduled road and infrastructure projects were completed as planned, directly contributing to economic stagnation.
Large sums are still paid to contractors for services they fail to render.
Projects are executed at inflated costs, while the end product is often defective or incomplete.
The Metro’s debt collection remains poor, with millions of rands never recovered from overdue accounts.
The Freedom Front Plus demands a thorough investigation into the Service Delivery Coordination Division’s utter failure, and the reprioritisation of the budget to ensure funds are allocated to essential, grass-roots service delivery.
Ekurhuleni residents deserve better than empty promises and failing services.
With an annual budget exceeding R50 billion, the Metro should be able to provide world-class service delivery. Instead, residents must be happy with unlit streets, crumbling roads and polluted neighbourhoods.
