Merafong municipality says there is ‘no fuel shortage’

The Merafong City Municipality has denied a claim of a fuel shortage in the municipality that had allegedly caused its vehicles to come to a standstill.

Municipal spokesperson Chris Spies said the allegations by DA MPL, Ina Cilliers on Tuesday, of fuel shortage and maladministration were unfounded. He said in her statement Cilliers “continued to beat the same drum and political rhetoric” as she did before.

“It lacks detail and substance and draws unrelated conclusions some of which are unfounded,” Spies said.

Cilliers said earlier that service delivery in Merafong had come to a standstill as the municipality has run out of fuel for its vehicles.

She claimed that traffic enforcement, power and lighting maintenance, grass cutting, refuse removal and the provision of water via tankers to isolated communities has ceased as the ANC-led council has failed to adequately plan and implement correct supply chain management policies.

“Thousands of Merafong’s residents will now be at risk of opportunistic crime, lengthy power outages and in some instances – denied basic human rights such as access to clean drinking water,” Cilliers said.

“This is not the first time that the residents of Merafong have been subjected to the mal-administrative practices of the ANC. Coupled to this, municipal debt continues to climb with no end in sight,” she said.

But Spies lashed out at Cilliers statement. ”Currently there is no fuel problem in the Municipality.

There is no collapse of service delivery as insinuated by Ms Cilliers. The Merafong community is not a risk of all the doom and evil alleged by Ms Cilliers, “ Spies said.

He said the politician had provided no prove of the maladministration which she alleged.

However, according to Spies the municipality had experienced a problem of fuel supply for a two day period in February, but that was speedily resolved. That had very little if any effect on the municipality’s service delivery responsibilities.

“The financial situation of the municipality is known and the municipality has been open about this situation.  We have admitted that due to a number of huge income losses our medium to long term financial situation needs to be carefully managed.

“This will have an impact on the day to day cash management of the municipality, but this is carefully monitored and responsibly managed,” Spies said.

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