LIMPOPO – THULAMELA Municipality employees downed tools last Friday in solidarity with their manager, Makonde Mathivha, who is facing suspension.
This action has seriously impeded service with people being unable to pay or make enquiries on their water and electricity bills, traffic fines and other important services. Traffic control is also non existent.
DA Limpopo leader, Jaques Smalle, said the DA had written to cooperative governance MEC, Makoma Makhurupetje, to urgently intervene.
“Despite an allocation of more than R450 million of the municipal infrastructure grant (MIG) towards infrastructure, the municipality has failed to repair several bridges and roads for more than seven years,” he said.
“The municipality lost R4 million as a result of assets and inventory being written off. About R21 million allocated for roads repair and maintenance was underspent. The amount of R18 million was spent on various lawsuits and pending legal cases from individuals and companies. A total of R128 million of the MIG was underspent and returned to the national treasury in the previous two financial years. About R20 million of the disaster relief grant was not utilised and Telkom also submitted a summons to the municipality demanding more than R170 000 for damaging their cables during various constructions,” he said.
Thulamela mayor, Grace Mahosi, said the council had sent Mathivha a letter requesting him to explain why he shouldn’t be suspended. “We are still solving the matter and service delivery will be back to normal soon,” Mahosi said.
Makhurupetje said the department had sent risk officers to gather all the information and would act after studying the report.
