The mayor of the City of Ekurhuleni has noted the media report by amaBhungane into the rapid increase in sanitation expenditure and alleged lack of municipal oversight with regards to the roll out of chemical toilets in the City.
The reports claims Ekurhuleni metro spent R1.9-billion on chemical toilets over three financial years from 2017 to 2019.
It also claims toilets were sourced from 16 small suppliers, and it was an apparent get-rich-quick scheme for some underperforming contractors that left many beneficiaries with dirty and broken toilets.
The existence of the bucket system has been a prevailing problem in informal settlements, with the chemical toilets deemed to bring relief to many.
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In response to the allegations, the mayor Mzwandile Masina firstly made it clear that the tender was awarded in 2016, prior to him assuming office.
The City has also released a response to the chemical toilets scandal article, which addresses issues pertaining to supply chain management processes, the metro’s pro-poor government Agenda and the financial implications associated with rapid urban migration. .
Spokesperson to the mayor, Phakamile Mbengashe, said there are several facts that should be taken into consideration pertaining to the roll out of chemical toilets in the City of Ekurhuleni.
According to him, these include:
* All service providers are appointed following supply chain management (SCM) processes that are highly regulated and transparent. Mbengashe said the City runs a transparent SCM process and the bid adjudication committee is open to the public.
“This process is also subject to scrutiny by City’s internal audit department, and the Auditor General of South Africa. During the 2017/18 financial year no audit findings were issued for maladministration and wasteful expenditure.”
* Mbengashe said it is important to contextualize the increase expenditure for sanitation in the City.
“According to Statistics South Africa’s mid-year population estimates in 2018, South Africa is estimated to receive a net immigration of 1,02 million people between 2016 and 2021. Most international migrants settle in Gauteng (47,5 per cent).
“Gauteng is considered the economic hub of the country, attracting international migrants as well as domestic migrants from rural provinces such as Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape. A large percentage of these migrants settle in the City of Ekurhuleni in search of job opportunities in the manufacturing sector.
“This has resulted in a rapid increase in the number of informal settlements in the City, where basic sanitation must be provided, as stimulated in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, under the Bill of Rights.”
* He said when the current administration came into office in late 2016, the current executive adopted a pro poor agenda, which is aimed at ensuring among others that our people’s dignity is restored.
“Following a petition received by legislature demanding more toilets in informal settlements, and continuous requests for such by members of the community during campaigning for the 2016 local government elections, the leadership prioritised sanitation in informal settlements,” said Mbengashe.
He said at the time when the leadership came into office in August 2016, the ratio stood to at one toilet for 10 structures.
“As part of the ANC’s localised manifesto, a political decision was taken that this must be improved to one toilet for five structures.”
* Mbengashe said the City had to correct an unacceptable abnormally in the supply chain process of rendering this service, where there was one supplier for rendering the service to all 119 informal settlements in the city.
“We now have 16 contractors rendering the service after we unbundled the tender to ensure efficiency in the provision of this service, particularly to informal settlements. Following the due process of the SCM policy, the outcome thereof was that 16 bidders qualified and all of them were appointed.
“This followed an inspection undertaken by the City to determine that they met the specification – and they did. These companies invoice the municipality as per the rates approved in the bid document.”
* Mbengashe said following an internal study, the City is set to introduce a baseline rate for the weekly servicing of toilets.
“Furthermore, the City will soon utilise an average market related pricing regimen for monthly rental fees for a single toilet unit.
“Lastly, reports regarding poor workmanship in the delivery of chemical toilets throughout the City, will be further investigated through the relevant oversight committees and random visits to communities through the Siyaqhuba accelerated service delivery programme.”
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