The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) welcomes any steps to root out corruption and maladministration in the Emfuleni Local Municipality (Evaton, Sebokeng, Vaal Oewer, Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging), but finds it regrettable that drastic intervention was only requested after the community demanded it.
The latest whistle-blower exposé follows a public confrontation between the Roshnee community and the local authority.
Residents were given short notice that their electricity supply would be disconnected even though billing errors, which have been repeatedly reported, remain unresolved.
In the Freedom Front Plus’s view, it is inexcusable that the Mayor, Sipho Radebe, is only taking action now, despite numerous complaints from residents that neither he nor the Mayoral Committee Member for Finance, Hassan Mako, took seriously.
The constant allegations of corruption, extortion and fraudulent accounts stem directly from years during which the Emfuleni administration demonstrated a sheer lack of political will and took no decisive action against offenders.
The fact that national and provincial leaders are only expressing their “concern, fear and anger” now, after the Mayor asked President Cyril Ramaphosa to instruct the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to probe corruption allegations, is unacceptable.
This confirms what residents have known all along: Emfuleni’s system has collapsed and honest ratepayers are being exploited.
The Freedom Front Plus insists that the SIU investigation should not be just for show; it should lead to the prosecution of guilty officials, the recovery of lost funds, and the full restoration of administrative and financial accountability.
The party sides with the community, and will keep applying pressure to ensure that every cent of taxpayers’ money is spent wisely and good governance is restored.
