VANDERBIJLPARK – When it rains it pours.
This is a testament to the situation faced by residents of Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) and the conditions they face daily.
While residents paddle through sewage-flooded streets, dodge potholes, and suffer from uncollected refuse, the municipality shockingly returned a whopping R640m to Treasury.
And despite the daily struggles faced by the community, ELM’s mayor Sipho Radebe stood firm in defending the municipality’s actions during a recent television interview.
“As a person born in the Vaal, it is heartbreaking the situation that we see. Most of our townships are very old. For several years, maintenance has not been happening; however, the situation is becoming better,” said Radebe.
According to Radebe, the reason for failing to utilise the funds lies with the municipality’s ongoing financial disputes with major creditors which are two government utilities.
“We have two major creditors, Rand Water and Eskom, which we had fee battles with. This led to them attaching the municipal accounts, making it impossible for us to spend the money,” he explained.
According to DA’s MPL Kingsol Chabalala, the decision represents a missed opportunity to tackle the significant infrastructural challenges the municipality faces.
“The money could have been used to complete unfinished projects, improve sewer lines, and repair roads riddled with potholes. Sadly, it has been returned, leaving the residents of Emfuleni to endure severe hardships,” he said.
Chabalala added “Emfuleni residents deserve more than empty promises—they deserve a responsive, accountable government that prioritises their basic needs and manages public resources with transparency and integrity. The ongoing water outages, deteriorating infrastructure, and financial mismanagement have deprived residents of their dignity and right to basic services.”
Following his interview, the mayor’s defense did little to calm residents who say the municipality is failing them.
Many are questioning how the situation will improve when funds meant for service delivery are returned instead of being utilised to fix the collapsing infrastructure.
Manzikazi Xaba: R640m returned to Treasury while there are potholes in every road in Emfuleni, the refuse hasn’t been collected for the entire month…the street lights are off and we pay the damn rates and taxes.
Wendy Crause: Well, it is safer at Treasury but devastating for the ratepayers not getting proper service delivery.
