The mounting decline of the Govan Mbeki Local Municipality (GMM) makes it abundantly clear that this Municipality is just one more sinking ship under ANC rule.
During the municipal opening address on Friday, it was apparent that the ANC’s only solution to the crisis is making more empty promises and increasing already exorbitant taxes and levies.
The Executive Mayor, Mr Nhlakanipho Zuma, repeatedly played the race card during his opening address and kept blaming the previous dispensation.
At present, this Municipality (Bethal, Charl Cilliers, Embalenhle, Evander, Kinross, Leandra, Secunda, Trichardt) is one of the greatest failures when it comes to service delivery and municipal management.
The Municipality is failing to fulfil its legal obligations, residents are affected by poor service delivery, and there is no political or administrative leadership.
Instability characterises the Municipality and residents are plagued by a serious service delivery vacuum. Water and sewage infrastructure is not maintained and as a result, raw sewage is polluting most towns.
Mr Zuma’s planning for 2030 leaves much to be desired. It offers the same promises made in 2021 during the local opening address.
Many projects never got off the ground or simply do not comply with the relevant standards; including the failed sewage project of R100 million in Embalenhle.
Mr Zuma commends those who served as mayors of GMM since 2000 for their good and constructive work even though the Municipality has been plunged into debt, which includes the staggering Eskom debt of R3,5 billion and Rand Water’s R668 million bill.
Residents deserve a municipality that fulfils its legal obligations and provides them with quality service delivery.
So, it is unacceptable that the Mayor wants to keep going down the same old path without making radical changes in direction.
Read the original article in Afrikaans by Aranda Nel-Buitendag on FF Plus
