Emfuleni receives donation of R1,2 billion, but service delivery remains poor

22 June 2022  

The FF Plus wants to know the identity of the secret donor who donated R1,2 billion to the Emfuleni Local Municipality (Evaton, Sebokeng, Vaal Oewer, Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging) last year, and whether the individual benefited in any way from making the donation.

The party sent an application in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to Emfuleni's municipal manager, Lucky Leseane, requesting that the information must be disclosed. 

There is no indication that the money, which was received in the second quarter of the current financial year (October / November / December 2021), was used to improve service delivery.

In fact, the opposite is true seeing as service delivery is deteriorating by the day.

Almost all the Municipality's outstanding debt to Rand Water, which amounts to R1,5 billion, could have been settled with the donation money.

In the 2021/22 financial year, Eskom and Rand Water seized the Municipality's bank account four times due to non-payment.

As a result, Emfuleni lost almost R1 billion due to, among other things, fines.

If Emfuleni had been properly managed, service providers would not need to seize its assets. The money should rather have been used to improve the services for which residents pay good money, but do not receive.

This is another example of the ANC's mismanagement, which has caused the Municipality to deteriorate more and more over the years. It cannot go on like this.

Emfuleni residents deserve better.

Issued by Gerda Senekal, FF Plus councillor: Emfuleni Local Municipality, 22 June 2022