Note to Editors: Please find an English soundbite by Cllr Duncan Mthembu here
The Democratic Alliance (DA) is appalled to learn of the closure of Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) offices due to unpaid rent.
The DA will write to the Department of Cooperative Government and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) to urgently intervene, and force the municipality on the right track. A municipality cannot find itself in a situation where its own offices are shut.
Worryingly the Emfuleni Local Municipality owns unused office space, but currently rents space to operate out of, we will also request CoGTA to determine why this is the case, and to force the municipality to use the assets it currently owns.
Residents have been left confused and stuck on how to proceed in getting assistance with payments and enquires. This is nothing more but an abject failure in governance, and something as simple as communication. The municipality could not even inform residents of their offices’ closure.
Those who need help, and who wanted to pay their accounts, were met with shut doors.
The municipality is unable to access its bank account because Rand Water has attached it due to the R1.7 billion unpaid debt. This has been a persisting problem over the last two months.
Whilst service delivery grinds to a stop, there is a leadership paralysis as the MMC for Finance allegedly wants to go to court to unblock the funds but the Executive Mayor refuses.
A Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) partnership with Rand Water was approved to manage debt, but is evidently not being implemented properly. The DA will not rest until there are answers as to how it is even possible that a municipality managed to have its own offices shut, due to failing to pay its rent.