Provincial councillors and municipal officials are among those responsible for crippling their own municipalities when it comes to revenue collection. They owe more than three quarters of a billion rand for rates and services.
A report tabled at the Bhisho legislature by the provincial treasury, dated May 7, reveals that municipal officials around the province owe their respective councils more than R761-million and councillors in 37 of the province’s 39 municipalities owe R36.6-million.
The situation could be much worse as these figures exclude officials and councillors in the province’s two metros, Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Bay.
Treasury, however, revealed that the “credibility” of the figures provided by municipalities “remains a challenge”.
In a written parliamentary response report by finance MEC Oscar Mabuyane, which came about after DA MPL Bobby Stevenson had formally inquired through written parliamentary questions, it also emerged that residents in the 37 municipalities owe R2.2-billion.Provincial government departments are also among the culprits.
Mabuyane’s report reveals they owe municipalities R475-million, with R247-million of that being owed by six of the 13 state departments.
Public works tops the list, owing provincial municipalities in excess of R170-million. It is followed by health at R44.1-million, education at R21.7-million and rural development and agrarian reform at R9.7-million.
The department of human settlements owes provincial municipalities R301278 and transport R508594.
The report reveals that:
Municipal officials at troubled Enoch Mgijima municipality in Komani owe in excess of R498-million and councillors R13.6-million;
Officials at Inxuba Yethemba owe R135-million and councillors R3.8-million;
In Sakhisizwe, officials owe more than R59.4-million and councillors R13.8-million;
At Emalahleni, officials owe R54-million and councillors R2.2-million;
At Intsika Yethu, officials owe R4-million and councillors R726194;
At Engcobo officials owe R3.1-million and councillors R256482; and
At Sunday’s River Valley, officials owe R1.6-million and councillors R138875;
Ndlambe and Makana municipalities owe a combined R2.7-million and at Alfred Nzo and King Sabatha Dalindyebo (KSD) councillors owe a combined R2.3-million;
Residents at KSD owe R435-million, Makana R362-million; Joe Gqabi R250-million; Sunday’s River Valley R225-million; Kouga R140-million; Beyers Naude R128-million and Ndlambe R12-million;
At bankrupt Great Kei, residents owe R70-million and officials R211238; and
OR Tambo municipality residents owe R60-million, those at Walter Sisulu R82-million, Kou-Kamma R115-million, Sakhisizwe R13-million and Ngqushwa R30-million.
Co-operative governance MEC Fikile Xasa they had instructed political and administrative leaders in some councils to find legal ways to deduct such debts from officials and councillors’ salaries...