VBC requests CoGTA's immediate oversight visit to ELM

The Citizen

6 days ago

SEDIBENG.- The Vaal Business Cooperation (VBC) has written to the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) requesting an oversight visit to the Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM).
Klippies Kritzinger, VBC CEO, has written to Minister Velenkosini Hlabisa and the CoGTA Portfolio Committee and said that, as a concerned business organisation, they are 'plagued by a municipality that has become a national disgrace'.
Kritzinger said the letter (which can be seen on one of VBC's social media platforms) is an urgent call from business and residents for Parliament to intervene decisively.
'We humbly request that the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance conducts a formal oversight visit to Emfuleni within 30 days from receipt of this letter, to directly witness the evidence of failure, maladministration, and outright abuse of public resources.'
Collapse of basic services
Refuse Collection has completely collapsed in most parts of Vanderbijlpark, Sebokeng, Sharpeville, Vereeniging, and Evaton. Illegal dumping has taken over parks, streets, and school zones. The municipality's records (Mayoral Committee minutes, March 2024) admit that 60% of refuse collection trucks are non-operational due to a lack of maintenance and poor procurement. Still, ELM proposed a 4.40% increase on a service not delivered.
Sewage flows openly in residential streets, businesses, and near crèches & schools. The Sebokeng and Rietspruit Wastewater Plants are non-functional. The DWS Green Drop report (2022) ranked Emfuleni as one of the worst-performing municipalities regarding wastewater compliance nationally.
The electricity infrastructure has collapsed. Multiple substations are obsolete and failing. Power outages lasting 3-7 days in some areas — unrelated to Eskom load shedding — due to a decayed grid and theft allowed by non-existent oversight are the norm. The lack of preventative maintenance and protection on electrical infrastructure is a major concern.
Water provision is erratic and unreliable. In March 2024 alone, three wards in Bophelong went without water for 11 consecutive days, with no emergency supply plan. The Emfuleni water loss rate exceeds 70%, and non-revenue water is a direct cost to ratepayers. ELM proposed an increase of 15.30% to finance their inability to manage water losses. The establishment of an SPV for water and sanitation between Randwater and Metsi-a-Lekoa has not been implemented.
Roads across Emfuleni are war zones. The R57 through Vanderbijlpark, Lillian Ngoyi Street in Sebokeng, and major roads in Vereeniging are filled with dangerous potholes and sinkholes. The 45 wards report more than 37 000 potholes that remain unrepaired
Financial chaos and gross mismanagement
Emfuleni has unpaid creditors exceeding R10b, including long-standing debts to Eskom, Rand Water, and dozens of local contractors who have not been paid for over 36 months.
Every financial year, hundreds of millions in MIG (Municipal Infrastructure Grant) funds are returned unspent, as confirmed in the Auditor-General's reports. This occurred while critical projects such as sewer line upgrades and street lighting were left unfinished.
The Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) is defunct. It has failed to table a single oversight report since late 2022. No action has been taken against officials involved in irregular expenditure flagged in the multiple internal audits.
The organisational structure is bloated and abused: The municipality has over 1 700 administrative staff, yet basic billing, building inspections, and urban planning functions are non-existent. Several employees continue to draw salaries while not attending work — a finding confirmed by an internal forensic report commissioned in July 2023.
Abuse of power and public funds
Councillors and senior officials are regularly attending conferences in Durban, Cape Town, at public expense, often unrelated to their portfolio responsibilities. The average trip costs the taxpayer R150 000 per delegation.
Annually, the Speaker's office (overstaffed) spends millions on VIP funerals for former councillors who retired long before their deaths. There was no council resolution approving this expenditure, and no policy basis for it.
Land use control and building compliance have collapsed entirely. Illegal taverns, hijacked buildings, and informal structures now dominate all 45 wards. The Land Use Tribunal seems to have been hijacked by the corruption in the Land Use Department. Due to failing infrastructure, property values & rates should decrease, but ELM proposed an increase of 4.40% on Assessment Rates.
The Vaal River City and Aerotropolis development projects have stalled due to incompetence, lack of land audits, and political squabbling in the council. Investors have withdrawn, citing instability and administrative paralysis.
VBC's request for immediate intervention:
A parliamentary oversight visit within 30 days, with site inspections of the Pump Stations, Emfuleni landfill sites, and Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging CBD. A forensic audit of all municipal trips, funerals, and hospitality expenses from 2021. A recommendation for Section 139(1)(c) intervention — complete dissolution of the council and appointment of an administrator. That the committee summon both the Executive Mayor, Speaker of Council, and Municipal Manager to account under oath. A forensic audit on businesses owned by ELM managers & employees.
The letter states that Emfuleni is not a failing and dysfunctional municipality, but it has already completely collapsed.
'It is a symbol of what happens when political corruption replaces accountability. It is no longer enough to write annual reports. The people of Emfuleni demand action, and Parliament must lead from the front.'
( VBC is NPO set up by business in Vereeniging and Vanderbijlpark to uplift the Vaal by partnering with business).
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