Makhura says Sedibeng in dire need of national intervention

The Sedibeng District Municipality is in serious trouble and in dire need of national Government’s intervention.

This is according to Gauteng premier, David Makhura, who was giving a report on the state of affairs in the district municipality during the Presidential Imbizo led by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday.

According to Makhura, national government has to play a key role in helping to revive the economy of Sedibeng.

“There are no jobs, with the unemployment rate in the Vaal standing at 64% while our children are engaging in drugs,” Makhura said.

Ageing infrastructure

Makhura acknowledged that local municipalities are facing a serious issue of ageing infrastructure.

“We have an issue of infrastructure that is not properly maintained, including our roads. “Generally our municipalities do not have a resource base to deal with these issues,” Makhura said.

People battling pay for electricity

Many residents in the district have for the longest time been suffering from relentless outages but also, we have a situation where municipalities have a huge debt to Eskom.

“Discussions with Eskom are ongoing, in order to find a favourable agreement on how that debt will be settled.

“Currently Lesedi Municipality’s revenue collection is standing at around 77%, Midvaal between 90% and 95%, while Emfuleni’s at 80%… This is very low in our standards and it is not like people don’t want to pay, because they are really trying in these difficult economic times, but they want to see results,” Makhura said.

Governance challenges

Makhura did not mince his words when he singled out Emfuleni as the worst municipality when it comes to governance issues.

He highlighted political and administrative instability as one of the biggest issues standing in the way of proper service delivery to communities.

“This has been affecting our communities in a very big way and Emfuleni is one of the municipalities that has been badly affected by this instability, to a point where the municipality had serious financial problems,” Makhura said.

The municipality also made headlines in recent months when it was revealed that employees pocketed millions of rands for overtime while the crisis persisted.

ALSO READ: Emfuleni workers pocket R65 million overtime but water crisis persists

Lifting section 139 administration mooted

Emfuleni Municipality has been placed under administration since 2018, and according to Makhura, discussions are currently ongoing on whether this administration should remain in place.

He said some residents have already voiced concerns about lifting Section 139, fearing that such a move could lead to the complete collapse of the municipality.

In his previous visits to the municipality, Gauteng MEC for Cooporative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) Lebogang Maile also raised concerns about the municipality’s never-ending woes.

ALSO READ: Under-administration Emfuleni municipality still ‘experiencing challenges’, says Maile

Residents raise their concerns to the president

Among the concerns raised by residents during the Presidential Imbizo held in Sharpeville included unemployment, lack of housing, and electricity.

On the issue of electricity, residents called on Eskom to have regular meetings with them about the issue of transformers which have been blowing up in different parts of the district.

There are currently residents who have been plunged into darkness for more than a year as a result of power outages in different areas of Sebokeng.

Ramaphosa, who is being accompanied by various Cabinet ministers, is expected to respond to residents’ concerns on Friday afternoon