The decision by the national Treasury to withhold the Municipal Infrastructure Grants (MIGs) from some of the North West municipalities should be blamed on the provincial government’s failure to spend the much-needed funds on the provision of clean water and sanitation among other essential services for the communities, said the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).
The EFF in the North West becomes the latest political party to criticise the provincial government over its failure to spend the much-needed MIGs, which has led to Treasury’s decision to withhold the funds in the current financial year.
Nine municipalities in the North West are set to lose R460 million in grants, after the national Treasury threatened to stop the funds, following the municipalities’ failure to spend large portions of the grants.
The municipalities that the Treasury has threatened with sanctions include, Ditsobotla, Ratlou, Mamusa, Rustenburg, JB Marks, City of Matlosana, Moses Kotane, Madibeng local municipalities and the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality for failing to utilise the grants in the previous financial year.
EFF’s North West chairperson, Shakes Botswe, said it’s unacceptable for municipalities that are failing to eradicate poverty to forfeit grants to the Treasury that were meant to address service delivery challenges at a local government level.
“The aforementioned municipalities are failing to eradicate abject poverty, unemployment, inequality, and rural under-development because the ANC crop of politicians and municipal officials are perpetuating rampant corruption, nepotism, maladministration and incompetency.
“The report is evident in the fact that under the ANC, all spheres of government have fallen into the ‘bottom of the abyss’ and the elites are not conscience-stricken about competing over the public purse while the province remains without services.
“It further corroborates our contention that municipalities are substantially paralysed and the provincial government has no concrete plan to hold municipal officials accountable for the failure to perform the fundamental statutory duties.
“By implication, it means that the provincial government has also failed in its duty to oversee, assist and guide in the performance of municipal functions. We will initiate a full-blown investigation and where unlawful conduct, incompetence or negligence, and other irregularities exist, we will ensure that those liable are held accountable,” Botswe said.
The North West Department of Cooperative Governance spokesperson, Tumelo Maruping, said the Treasury did make municipalities aware in February about this matter.
MEC Nono Maloyi had an engagement with all the affected municipalities to discuss recovery plans to assist municipalities to commit this money to service delivery. And the information received was that municipalities did submit those recovery plans to the Treasury, he said.
“However, according to the letter from the minister, recovery plans of nine municipalities in the province were rejected, hence we are in this situation. MEC Maloyi wrote to all those municipalities to submit reports detailing what could have led to this situation.
“He also wants consequence management to be implemented against all officials who could have contributed to this eventuality,” Maruping said, adding that Maloyi is currently studying the reports from the nine municipalities and will only decide on a way forward later.
The DA in the North West called on the Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on finances to summon the municipalities to account for returning funds to the Treasury, while they fail to render services to the people.
