Delani Louis Thabethe, executive mayor of the Lekwa Municipality, stood his ground on service delivery issues the past week.
Thabethe got peppered with questions during an interview on YouTube about his administration’s handling of the R70m fine imposed by the judiciary.
“We took responsibility for service delivery issues in 2021, before the court order,” Thabethe said.
He also said they inherited service delivery backlogs, of which sewage problems are one. According to him, maintenance and repairs are issues. As the interview progressed, Thabethe emphasised the Waste Water Treatment Plant.
The mayor said it was established in the fifties. The previous administration dug trenches, which led to sewage directly flowing into the Vaal River. Lekwa and the Gert Sibande District Municipality collaborated in using a separate sludge.
Thabethe commented the treatment plant is over-capacitated and they conducted a feasibility study for a new one where they let designs be made and considered them. He admitted the municipality is bankrupt, and the interviewer cited a figure of R1.7b owed to creditors.
“We spent R20m on upgrading the plant,” Thabethe added.
Lekwa dealt with three pump stations. The only one left is the Taljaard pump station.
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“The Concor Reservoir is no longer blocked, and we spent R20m on the Colling sewerage line.”
The mayor said contractors are on site to deal with sewage and water spillages. The Lekwa-Eskom debt came under discussion, with Lekwa owing the power utility R1.9b.
The unfunded budget, as published in the previous issue of the Standerton Advertiser, was the next topic of the interview.
“It will take five to seven years to have a realistic funded budget. Litigation cases from the previous administration cost the municipality almost R12m. Revenue enhancement programmes are also underway,” commented the mayor.
Referring to the residents living in Ext 8, he said the area did not receive infrastructure when the RDP houses were built.
He also answered a query about the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG), saying the spending was top-notch.
About the landfill site, Thabethe said they appointed a service provider. At the end of his contract, they would deal with the environmental legislation.
About electricity, bridged meters, illegal connections and the installation of smart meters, as well as the incorrect billing of properties, both residential and businesses, Thabethe did not mince his words when he said it used to be a free-for-all and Lekwa had been in a state of total collapse.
“Lekwa is the only municipality dissolved by a court order.”
He said the voting block of the DA, EFF, Freedom Front Plus and ATM in the council was working.
About protests, he commented the same people ordered to vacate their positions was now organising protests.
On a positive note, Thabethe concluded the Lekwa-shedding of previous winters is not prevalent, and locals only have to contend with Eskom’s load-shedding.
The power, however, in certain areas in mid-town was off the early morning of June 29. By 09:41, the electricity was restored in certain households.
