ANC chose cadres over residents as service delivery reaches all time low in the Environmental Department
by Ald. Andre du Plessis — DA Shadow MMC for Environmental Resource and Waste Management in Ekurhuleni
Date: 29 January 2021
Release: Immediate
Type: Media statement
Service delivery across the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) has continued to decline rapidly under the ANC-led coalition. This is vividly evident within the Department of Environmental Resources and Waste Management, whose neglect and inability to provide basic services have resulted in massive declines in service levels across the Metro.
The gross mismanagement of the Department, under ANC Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC), Ald. Khosi Mabaso, compelled the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ekurhuleni to submit an urgent motion of no confidence in the MMC — debated in the Virtual Ordinary Council Meeting on January 28th 2021.
The motion, which sought to compel ANC Executive Mayor, Cllr. Mzwandile Masina, to dismiss the MMC from her position and intended to restore a degree of capable management to the Department, in the interest of restoring service delivery to the City’s residents.
While the motion ultimately did not pass, it highlights the failure of MMC Mabaso’s leadership, demonstrated through a number of examples in which she neglected her duties and responsibilities in delivering adequate services, which include the following:
· Grass cutting tenders were not awarded for the entire 2019/20 financial year, leading to overgrown public parks and spaces — an eye-sore and unnecessary danger to residents,
· Landfill sites have not been operational due to new tenders not being awarded, leading to major service delivery backlogs and a direct contributor to the surge of illegal dumping around the City,
· The insufficient implementation of Departmental plans to control alien invader species, specifically water hyacinth, which are currently destroying the biodiversity of our water bodies,
· Insufficient planning and inadequate engagement with councillors, which has led to the failure of the Bulk Walk-in Containers project, at a major cost to the CoE,
· Due to non-payment by the Metro, the Chloorkop landfill site has now also been closed for entry to the CoE waste vehicles, creating additional costs to the Metro and ultimately negatively affecting service delivery to the City’s residents.
Administratively, MMC Mabaso has also demonstrated massive shortcomings, specifically in how she failed to hold HOD for the Department, Faith Wotshela, to account, who the Council previously sought to place on a performance management plan.
Financially, the Department has insufficient funds available to pay waste collection contractors, whose services have since been suspended, which is indicative of the poor management of the Department under the MMC.
Despite these major inadequacies and leadership failures, the ANC continues to award cadres, as opposed to putting the needs of residents first by appointing capable people into critical leadership positions.
Predictably, the ANC-led coalition in Ekurhuleni blames the Covid-19 pandemic for these service delivery failures, however, the decline in service delivery standards across the Metro has been a trend for a number of years, under the administration.
Although the motion of no confidence in the MMC did not pass, it does highlight that the ANC puts its cadres and their coalition partners ahead of South Africans, who are crying for services. The DA will continue to put pressure on all officials to ensure that residents of Ekurhuleni receive the level of service that they deserve from the City.
Ald. Andre du Plessis
DA Shadow MMC for Environmental Resource and Waste Management in Ekurhuleni
