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The Matjhabeng Local Municipality has failed to spend R176,5 million in Municipal Infrastructure Grants (MIG) from National Treasury and almost R33 million in Water Services Infrastructure Grants (WSIG) since the 2019/20 financial year. The bulk of these funds, which should have been used to maintain and upgrade municipal infrastructure, had to be sent back.

Only R48,8 million in MIG funds were rolled over to the current financial year, to be spent before it ends in June. Of this amount, R45,4 million is still unspent, and almost R7,3 million in WSIG funds are still unspent. This is according to a written parliamentary reply in the Free State legislature, submitted by the DA.

Yet, the municipality's infrastructure has deteriorated to such an extent that water losses have gone up from 22% in 2019/20 to 56% every year since. That is a loss of water to the value of R324 million per year, whilst communities are left without water for weeks on end.

There is no shortage of funds to maintain municipal infrastructure. The ANC is incapable of governing the municipality, and the daily water problems are a direct result of the ANC’s incompetence.

On a municipal level, the DA will write to the chairperson of the Infrastructure Committee, requesting that the Municipal Manager and Director of Infrastructure account to the committee on how they are going to ensure that funds are not sent back to the treasury, but that it is spent on infrastructure to prevent water losses and interruptions to water provision.

The DA will further, through our Member of Parliament, George Michalakis, write to the Chairperson of the Select Committee on Cooperative Governance in the National Council of Provinces, requesting that the municipality as well as the provincial department of CoGTA account to Parliament for this gross dereliction of duty.

It is time for the people of Matjhabeng to vote out the ANC in 2024. Until then, the DA will continue to hold them to account in the interest of all the people of Matjhabeng.

Issued by Dr Igor Scheurkogel - DA Councillor Matjhabeng Local Municipality