Rand West City must be placed under administration
Thousands of residents and businesses will face a black Christmas, after Eskom announced that it would roll out power cuts due to the escalating debt.
The DA has written to Lebogang Maile, the Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, (CoGTA), to request that the failing ANC-led Rand West City Local Municipality (RWCLM) be placed under partial administration, in terms of Section 139 (1) (b) of the Constitution, as service delivery has totally collapsed.
It is unacceptable that the MEC has not yet intervened when he is aware that this municipality has failed to fulfil its executive obligations in terms of the Constitution.
The RWCLM, which is a merger between the former Randfontein and Westonaria Municipalities, faces many challenges including poor leadership, mismanagement, and mounting debt.
The municipality currently owes Eskom R235 621 979 for the supply of bulk electricity. It does not have the ability to collect revenue, having only managed to collect 57 per cent, it has a refuse-collection backlog and unattended sewer spillages, and illegal dumping [is a major concern].
Last year, the municipality admitted to the SA Human Rights Commission that its waste-water treatment works were not fully operational‚ resulting in untreated sewage spilling into land surrounding the plant. There has been no improvement as streets are still flooded with sewage.
Thousands of residents and businesses will face a black Christmas, after Eskom announced that it would roll out power cuts due to the escalating debt.
