Failing Mamusa Municipality also under administration – DA remains committed to bringing change people deserve

15 May 2019

The ink on ballot papers is barely dry and the Democratic Alliance (DA) has learned that the embattled Mamusa Municipality will also be placed under administration. It is clear that the ANC tried to conceal the true state of this failing municipality until after the elections.

In a letter, dated 6 May 2019, signed by MEC for Local Government, Motlalepula Rosho some of the reasons for placing the municipality under administration are:

Service delivery

Interruption of water services due to non-payment and non-maintenance

The municipality’s inability to maintain its own fleet

Poor management and maintenance of infrastructure

Instability within the municipality

Poor audit outcomes with recurrent disclaimer

Non-payment of salary deductions to medical aid funds, pension funds, etc.

A backlog of reports for the past nine years

Inability to pay service providers – owes Eskom more than R50 million

The ANC infighting and pure lack of political will to govern and adhere to legislation have caught up with them. In April we conducted an oversight inspection to the area and found that it is plagued by electricity supply problems and faulty/broken transformers which cannot be repaired.

To top these serious service delivery issues, Mamusa also owes SARS R10 million.

The Schweizer-Reneke community, like all other rural towns in North West, is forced to live under the failures of the ANC in government. The streets are awash with raw sewage, basic service delivery like refuse removal and the maintenance of roads are non-existent.

The Mamusa Local Municipality only has three service vehicles available, one for refuse removal, one cherry picker and a tractor with a trailer.

The municipality owes service providers money and therefore they cannot release vehicles that are in for repairs. This hampers service delivery.

The Sheriff has already attached municipal property in a bid to recover some of the debt owed, which further undermines the ability of the administration to ensure effective service delivery.

The same Municipality falls under the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality which allegedly invested R200 million in the defunct VBS Mutual Bank. R70 million of this money are unaccounted for and ended up in the pockets of thugs – robbing the people of money intended to better their lives.

Only the DA has the experience in government to successfully fix the ANC’s failures, especially in rural communities. We remain committed to exposing corruption and hold the ANC accountable. We will work even harder to realise our vision of One South Africa for All.

Issued by Joe McGluwa, DA North West Provincial Leader, 15 May 2019