POLITICAL NEWS - In a recent parliamentary reply, the Department of Local Government revealed that every single ANC-led municipality in the province owes debt to Eskom in excess of 90 days.
This collective debt reaches almost R79 million for that period, and is attributed to the following municipalities:
- Beaufort West: R35 275 164
- Cederburg: R24 320 525
- Kannaland: R11 293 609
- Matzikamma: R8 092 489
MPP America says: "If one were to consider the total debt which these administrations have collectively accrued to date, that figure would increase to over R156-million. For four small local governments to accrue such debts is completely unacceptable.
This is why I will be submitting a parliamentary question to the provincial government about what payment plans have been made with these municipalities. We understand that some municipalities have entered into similar agreements in the past, but whether or not these plans have been honoured by the ANC administrations remains a concern, especially when we see their debts continuing to grow.
This is not the first and only problem which these municipalities are facing. These local governments are reflections of the state of the ANC itself: conflicted, confused, and dysfunctional.
For example, the Auditor-General's 2019/20 report on local government found that Beaufort West was among the 22 municipalities across the country which could not account for R5.5 billion in public funds during that financial year.
It is also due to the negligence of the Central Karoo District Municipality council, of which Beaufort West is a part, that the Western Cape Government had to issue a directive earlier this month to convene and table its 2021/22 Draft Budget. This was the result of the municipality failing to do so itself.
If the budget is not adopted by 30 July 2021, the province would have to take further actions which may include dissolving the current council and appointing an administrator until such time that a new council has been declared.
In Kannaland, we are reminded that it took the actions of Minister Bredell and his department to prevent the municipality from bankrupting itself. The electricity deal came with a R735-million price tag under dubious conditions which would have further crippled the municipality."
These current circumstances are a greater indication of the need for South Africans to root out ANC governance from our towns and cities. It is time for the DA model to be replicated across the country so that residents receive quality services and value for their hard-earned Rand.
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