Cllr Peter Verbeek of Ward 10, Emfuleni Local Municipality, writes:
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Communities are fed up with the defiant and obstinate behaviour of Emfuleni municipality. The municipality is very quick to indicate that residents and businesses “must pay” their monthly Emfuleni accounts whilst it takes years to solve incorrect billing, the erratic use of monthly estimates and historical residential debt that seems to be soaring per month.
The write-off of R872 million for the 2017/2018 “Irregular Expenditure” by Emfuleni Council on the 31st of March 2021 was the last straw.
If Emfuleni Council is prepared to write-off R872 million to technically absolve and acquit Emfuleni staff, then Emfuleni Council can write-off outstanding historical residential debt.
Service delivery has all but ground to a halt in Emfuleni municipality. Residents are tired and frustrated of potholes in their streets, non-functioning street lights, 62 days waiting for Emfuleni to assist with sewerage, no water or alternatively low water pressure, and, open spaces that have become synonymous for illegal dumping.
On Monday the 3rd of May 2021 residents will be paying a R600 flat rate, including rates and taxes etc as “all in”.
The community provided a mandate to this affect during a public meeting held on Sunday the 25th of April 2021 at the parking space of the Vanderbijlpark Library. The purpose of this mandate is to force the Executive Mayor and the Finance and Revenue Department to come to the table to address:
1) the implementation of a monthly flat rate that the Executive Mayor has committed himself to during a public meeting at Oospark Primary School on the 3rd of February 2020;
2) the write-off of residential historical debt; and
3) with immediate effect resolve the service delivery challenges that is plaguing the municipality since March 2017.
