Clean audit in the midst of diminishing service delivery

I find it extremely interesting that the mayor of Ekurhuleni, Mzwandile Masina, crows about the metro receiving a clean audit while the ratepayers are receiving ever-diminishing service. How are these reconcilable?

With so much tender fraud and wasteful expenditure, how is the latter possible? Maybe if the tenders are classified as “transparent” and “fluid” expenditure is approved by the majority of ANC councillors then everything is above board and thus acceptable.

Many Ekurhuleni residents have noticed the shabby condition of their towns and the myriad potholes in the City’s roads. Will these be fixed before the rainy season? Your answer would probably be no, taking into account the metro’s dismal past performance.
But wait, October 27 is SA’s local government elections. The metro will be leaping into action to show us how committed they are to efficient service delivery!

Let us not forget the many garbage collection vehicles parked in workshops. Why are they not being repaired? There is also the small matter of the closure of dumpsites owing to the contracts having expired.

A recent article in the Daily Maverick informed us of the shocking state of the country’s sewerage plants. It would be interesting to know how functional are Ekurhuleni’s waterworks. Has anyone noticed over the past few years the large percentage increases in annual sewerage charges?

We know a major funding injection is required. A golden opportunity has presented itself – municipal valuations. This has proved to be a fiasco, as in many cases property valuations have sky-rocketed.

To prevent a rates increase shock in July and going forward, it would be a good idea to visit the Ekurhuleni website and check your valuation. We have until mid-June to object. It’s a relatively simple exercise.
Oh yes, it would also be a good move to vote accordingly in October. The mayor and his no-hopers team need to be unceremoniously dumped. They can then go and have more tea parties with their hero.

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