The FF Plus has officially requested the Minister for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, to urgently implement remedial steps at the Mafube Local Municipality in the Free State as it has effectively come to a complete standstill.
At present, this municipality has no bank accounts, vehicles or equipment. There is, thus, no service delivery and salaries cannot be paid. The municipality is bankrupt and has no cash flow.
The municipality has been under Section 139 administration for the last two years due to its poor financial management. However, there has been no improvement. On the contrary, things have only deteriorated.
The Free State government has for the past two years been unable to implement a successful turn-around strategy for the municipality.
At present, Mafube's outstanding debt amounts to more than R490 million. Debt in terms of payments owed to the municipal workers' pension fund amount to approximately R27 million. The pension fund obtained a court order to collect the outstanding debt by, among other things, seizing the municipality's bank accounts.
The funds that the Free State government paid into the municipality's account to bring some degree of relief have been frozen.
In the meantime, Eskom has also suspended its power supply to the municipal offices and other power points that get their electricity directly from Eskom. As a result, the municipality's sewage plant is no longer functional and raw sewage is running down the streets and into the nearby Wilge River. This river feeds into the Vaal River that, in turn, supplies a large part of South Africa's interior with water.
The municipality has tried to make illegal electricity connections at some of the municipal offices. Eskom is investigating the matter and enormous fines could follow. Other creditors have also already obtained court orders to seize municipal vehicles and equipment.
The people of Mafube are now paying the price for the ANC's continued mismanagement of the municipality. It is clear that the ANC-controlled municipality and province do not have the political will or the ability to turn the situation around.
The Minister has no choice but to step in and offer solutions for the mess that the ANC has made.
The FF Plus will keep fighting back against the ANC's lack of political will to ensure that South Africa's municipalities are functioning properly.
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