Randfontein budget slammed

Opposition party members has been unanimous in their negative verdicts with regard to the 2013/ 2014 budget, which was released recently by Randfontein Executive Mayor, Sylvia Thebenare.

The budget was rejected outright by the DA, with the party citing irregularities in amounts set aside for repairs and maintenance on Randfontein’s ailing electricity system, as well as the amounts budgeted for the upkeep of Randfontein’s roads.

According to DA Ward Councillor, Alwyn van Tonder, the municipality is charging more for electricity than they should after they illegally increased the electricity tariffs for prepaid users with 13.5 percent instead of 11.03 percent in the 2012/ 2013 financial year.

“The electricity for the 2013/ 2014 financial year was worked out incorrectly,” says Van Tonder.

“This means that prepaid users are still paying more than they should.”

Van Tonder also says that the municipality should, according to regulation, have budgeted 6 percent of their projected electricity income for the 2013/ 2014 financial year toward repairs and maintenance on Randfontein’s electricity grid.

“They only budgeted 1,4 percent for this,” says Van Tonder.

“This is just about spent as, only a day or two after they announced the budget, the Droogeheuwel main intake transformer malfunctioned and had to be replaced.

“Those transformers cost somewhere between five and eight million rand each, meaning that the municipal budget for electrical repair and maintenance has been spent even before the beginning of the new financial year.”

Van Tonder says that all the other electricity substations in Randfontein are also severely dilapidated and many of them are already running at 100 percent capacity.

To make matters worse, Culemborg Park residents have been suffering regular power outages due to the fact that the electrical intake cables in their area simply cannot handle the amount of voltage run through them.

According to DA Ward Councillor, Craig Harrison, these cables will need to be replaced immediately, but without any budget left for the needed repairs, residents are in for a long cold winter.

Van Tonder has accused the municipality of budgeting for Mohlakeng only, and ignoring the rest of Randfontein.

“Don’t get me wrong,” says Van Tonder, “I am all for the continued development of Mohlakeng as a suburb of Randfontein, but the municipality needs to understand that there is much more to Randfontein than Mohlakeng.”

Van Tonder says that the budget makes provision for a new R11,1 million substation for Mohlakeng, but nothing for the repair and maintenance of the existing infrastructure.

He says that there is also money set aside for the upkeep of roads in Mohlakeng, but nothing for the rest of the town.

“What is worse,” says Van Tonder, “is that every time the DA, or any other opposition party makes a suggestion, the ANC opposes it outright, whether it is good or not.

“They politicise everything. They oppose the opposition as a matter of principle because they are the opposition and not because of sound reasoning.”

The Herald has requested a copy of the 2013/ 2014 municipal budget from the Randfontein Local Municipality, but, to date, has not received it.