The ANC in Ekurhuleni has broken its silence on the deteriorating state of the metro’s financial issues.
The regional co-ordinator Jongizizwe Dlabathi said the ANC has been constantly monitoring the developments within Ekurhuleni and subsequently they undertook an assessment of the municipal performance, which according to him, raises serious concerns.
This comes after a brawl broke out at the Ekurhuleni council meeting after ANC and EFF councillors got into a fistfight, with water bottles and papers being thrown at each other on Thursday.
This was as the motion for a vote of no confidence against Ekurhuleni mayor Sivuyile Ngodwana was being tabled. The incident resulted in Ngodwana’s phone being snatched during the brawl, but it has since been found.
The mayor is accused of failing to deliver services to the people of Ekurhuleni.
During the briefing in Germiston on Tuesday, Dlabathi said the ANC was prepared for any eventuality, but will not be part of a collaborative arrangement that was not helpful in taking forward the programme of a better life for all.
“It is not about the positions, nor the perks of governance, but our commitment to building better communities,” he said.
Dlabathi said this was defined by a glaring and deepening crisis of poor financial position, exacerbated by the lack of a convincing and practical turnaround plan of improving the metro’s financial position.
“High liquidity risk, largely affecting the city’s ability to fully service current financial obligations, particularly the payment of small business who have rendered services. Small businesses are now desperate and susceptible to the allegations of upfront payments for them to get paid.
“High level of inefficiencies in addressing core service delivery queries such as electricity interruptions.
“This has plunged the community of KwaThema and many other parts of the city into darkness for unprecedented hours and days. Ineffective waste collection particularly in Thembisa, where illegal dumping is fast becoming uncontrollable and literally becoming a serious health hazard,” he added.
Dlabathi said the state of the municipality’s cemeteries were a sign of a failed municipality which left sacred places like cemeteries with overgrown grass that looked like Rondebult.
In Katlehong, Dlabathi said sewer spillages were order of the day, without officials attending to it.
“For instance, the residents of recurring sewer spills that has been there for more than six months, affecting Sophangisa Street, Nadustria, Cherry Street and Hlahane.
“A city whose economic developmental path has slowed down and an administration that appears to be fast becoming demoralised and with a lack of clear and coherent guidance.”
On the National Treasury taking away the grant, the regional co-ordinator said where their members were found to be responsible they would seek accountability.
“We have taken note of the threat of stopping some of the grant allocations by the National Treasury, including the Urban Settlement Grant to the tune of R498.3 million due to underperformance, and where we are directly responsible, accountability will be sought.”
He said the ANC had recently raised concerns about the outstanding audit report as well as the City’s failure to submit financial information to the JSE as stipulated by the Debt Listings Requirements.
Dlabathi said they have since learnt that the audit report was finally signed off and they were now imploring that it must make its way to council as soon as possible.
Attempts to get comment from Nkululeko Dunga, the EFF leader in Ekurhuleni, were unsuccessful at the time of publication. | Additional reporting by Kamogelo Moichela
The Star