The select committee on cooperative governance and traditional affairs, water and sanitation, and human settlements paints a grim picture about Emfuleni’s state of affairs.
During a recent oversight visit to the Emfuleni municipality, committee chairperson Thamsanqa China Dodovu revealed that service delivery in Emfuleni is in a horrible state.
The municipality is located in the Sedibeng district and covers various areas including Evaton, Sebokeng, Vaal Oewer, Vanderbijlpark and Vereeniging.
“What we have seen is a municipality on its knees or worse beyond the grave,” said Dodovu.
“A question we must ask is: what is it that we are doing to reverse the situation in the Vaal and not undermine the history of this town?
“In reality, all cities are improving and developing but all that is non-existent in this town.”
He said the committee is concerned that the municipality has regressed since the audit opinion of the 2021/22 financial year, with residents bearing the brunt of no service delivery.
The committee said the worst of all is that the municipality has no control of its accounts following a court order allowing Eskom to attach all its accounts.
“Without control of these accounts, the municipality is non-functional, can’t pay its debtors and is unable to access grants to implement service-delivery initiatives,” said Dodovu.
The broke Emfuleni owes Eskom R6.8-billion.
Dodovu said the other grave concern that has brought Emfuleni to its knees is that it is only billing for 35% for water it receives from Rand Water while 65% of it is wasted due to infrastructure that is not maintained.
“We need urgent solutions to the challenges faced by this municipality. The provincial government and Salga [SA Local Government Association] must urgently support the municipality to ensure that the people of this historic municipality receive their constitutionally guaranteed rights.”
Emfuleni spokesperson Makhosonke Sangweni said: “We do accept that we have challenges and we are working with the provincial government.
“We are dealing with some of these challenges and the National Treasury just approved our debt-relief programme with Eskom.
“The Gauteng government has intervened on building and resealing 40 roads and the special economic zones are at its initial stages and will be implemented.
“It’s not like nothing is happening, we are a municipality with challenges but addressing them on a daily basis.”
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