August 20 marked exactly four months since Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Minister of Corporate Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) announced the Mangaung Metro intervention team.
According to Dlamini-Zuma, the team under the leadership of Tebogo Motlashuping as an acting City Manager would only be in Mangaung for six months.
The other members at the time were:
Advocate Nkateko Mpangane
George Joma
Dr. Tseliso Ntili
The Municipality was placed under administration in 2019 and upon asking the Minister if there will be consequence management for failure to implement a recovery plan, her response at the time was.
“The team will receive the handover report and will take it from there.”
It has been four months and four days since she said so and one can not help but wonder if the report has disappeared like diesel or if it is perhaps with uncollected rubbish in the city.
The Auditor General of South Africa, Tsakani Makuleke did not pull punches on Mangaung.
Mangaung Metro is now under the national government following the failure by the Province to implement a recovery plan, Auditor General explains how the National Treasury contributed to the lack of service delivery by withholding conditional grant funding of over R400 million meant for service delivery.
“On 1 January 2020, the provincial executive intervened at Mangaung by imposing and assuming responsibility for, a recovery plan that aimed to secure the metro’s ability to provide basic services and meet its financial commitments.
The National Treasury withheld conditional grant funding of R429,02 million due to underspending that resulted from delays in completing grant-funded projects. This placed further strain on the metro’s financial health and also harmed service delivery. The metro spent less than 2% of its infrastructure budget on repairs and maintenance, resulting in infrastructures such as roads and water networks further deteriorating. Service delivery protests increased as residents grew increasingly dissatisfied with pothole-riddled roads, having to go for days without water, and refuse sometimes not being collected for weeks.
Although the metro held public participation sessions where the needs of the community were received and planned for, many of the planned targets were not achieved because they were not prioritized and/or because of a lack of funding. Since projects were not completed, the communities’ needs were not addressed, which negatively affected their lives.
We continued to identify and report material findings on compliance with legislation at all auditees, including in the area of procurement and contract management.”
At the time of the announcement, it was revealed the intervention shall end when: “the governance, financial health, and responsive service delivery have improved significantly”
Things have regressed as service delivery remains Achille heels with rubbish all over Mangaung while diesel and millions disappear without a trace and worse, there is no sign of vacant positions being filled with competent people, not ghosts.
Moshoeshoe Roads has been under construction for years and no action has been taken despite millions spent thus far, the rea vaya bus service forensic report is also outstanding not forgeting the graveyards and signage.
Even Thabo Mbeki, former president cant believe a metro where ANC was formed is this potholed but do they even have a shame let alone caring?
Below is a politician who could not explain what happened to public money in Nigeria and fake fainted, they opened his mouth to check the money.
China Dodovu could not be reached for comment as far as monitoring is concerned.
This is part one of four on the job at hand for the team.
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Unfortunately there is no changes at all because Bloemfontein is getting worse than it use to be. The whole council should be removed an use the old apartheid system of GG workers.