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The Star
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
ActionSA calls for urgent intervention in Emfuleni municipality crisis
Masabata Mkwananzi | Published 4 hours ago ActionSA has ramped up pressure on Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Finance MEC Jacob Mamabolo, demanding that Emfuleni Local Municipality be placed under mandatory administration. The party said years of financial mismanagement, collapsing infrastructure, and failed service delivery have pushed the municipality beyond the point of recovery without urgent national intervention. "It is now imperative that the Gauteng Provincial Government invoke Section 139(5) of the Constitution and place Emfuleni Local Municipality under mandatory administration, with the full oversight of National Treasury." ActionSA Gauteng provincial chairperson, Funzi Ngobeni MPL, has criticised the ongoing oversight failures in Emfuleni, warning that years of ineffective and incomplete interventions under Section 139(1)(b) have allowed the municipality to slide into what he described as a 'full-blown crisis.' Ngobeni stressed that Emfuleni's dire financial state is undeniable, citing the municipality's R7.1 billion debt to Eskom and mounting arrears with Rand Water as key indicators of its insolvency. He added that massive service delivery failures, including 62% water losses and 22% electricity losses — amounting to over R750 million in annual lost revenue — have left basic services out of reach for many residents. 'Ongoing sewer spillages, neglected infrastructure, and collapsed waste management systems have turned essential services into a luxury most communities can no longer count on,' Ngobeni added. Ngobeni further pointed to the ongoing sanitation crisis at the Ramaphosa informal settlement as a glaring example of Emfuleni's collapse. 'The fact that portable toilets have gone unserviced for more than four months is not just unacceptable — it should be the final straw…this level of neglect underscores why urgent intervention through Section 139(5) is no longer optional but absolutely necessary. 'Despite Premier Lesufi's belated instruction to the Gauteng Human Settlements Department to resolve the matter, it is clear that without intentional, decisive provincial intervention, residents will continue to suffer. Emfuleni's failure to provide basic sanitation is not confined to one settlement – it is a systemic, recurring feature of a municipality in collapse,' he said. Previously placed under administration due to chronic service delivery failures, Emfuleni Local Municipality remains in disarray. Ngobeni has slammed the earlier Section 139(1)(b) intervention, terminated in 2022, as a 'disastrous failure.' The party argued that the measure merely offered a façade of oversight while allowing Emfuleni's political leadership to retain control over the budget and continue with unchecked, irresponsible spending. "The situation has now escalated beyond discretionary oversight. ActionSA, therefore, supports the immediate implementation of a financial recovery plan in terms of Section 139(5), which would transfer financial control to National Treasury and impose mandatory reforms," he said. Ngobeni stated that ActionSA has formally submitted a proposal to the Gauteng Legislature's COGTA Committee, urging the Portfolio Committee and Premier Panyaza Lesufi to act swiftly. He said the municipality's dire financial state requires immediate fiscal control by the National Treasury to enforce a funded and credible budget capable of addressing years of financial mismanagement. 'An immediate fiscal control by National Treasury to enforce a funded and credible budget, aggressive debt recovery aligned with Eskom's debt relief framework, and prioritised infrastructure restoration in water, electricity, and sanitation,' said Ngobeni. He further added that stabilising the municipality's leadership is also crucial to turning things around. 'Appointing a permanent Municipal Manager and Chief Financial Officer without delay is vital to restoring governance and accountability in Emfuleni.' ActionSA is not the only political party placing pressure on the embattled Emfuleni Local Municipality. As previously reported by The Star , the Democratic Alliance (DA) has also taken decisive action by referring the municipality to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). The DA is calling for a full investigation, citing long-standing and severe service delivery failures. According to the party, these failures have subjected residents to inhumane living conditions, effectively violating their constitutional rights to basic services such as clean water, adequate sanitation, and a safe and healthy environment. The Star [email protected]
IOL News
26-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
ActionSA calls for urgent intervention in Emfuleni municipality crisis
ActionSA is demanding that the Gauteng Premier place Emfuleni Local Municipality under mandatory administration due to years of financial mismanagement and service delivery failures that have led to a crisis. Image: Itumeleng English Independent Newspapers ActionSA has ramped up pressure on Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Finance MEC Jacob Mamabolo, demanding that Emfuleni Local Municipality be placed under mandatory administration. The party said years of financial mismanagement, collapsing infrastructure, and failed service delivery have pushed the municipality beyond the point of recovery without urgent national intervention. "It is now imperative that the Gauteng Provincial Government invoke Section 139(5) of the Constitution and place Emfuleni Local Municipality under mandatory administration, with the full oversight of National Treasury." ActionSA Gauteng provincial chairperson, Funzi Ngobeni MPL, has criticised the ongoing oversight failures in Emfuleni, warning that years of ineffective and incomplete interventions under Section 139(1)(b) have allowed the municipality to slide into what he described as a 'full-blown crisis.' Ngobeni stressed that Emfuleni's dire financial state is undeniable, citing the municipality's R7.1 billion debt to Eskom and mounting arrears with Rand Water as key indicators of its insolvency. He added that massive service delivery failures, including 62% water losses and 22% electricity losses — amounting to over R750 million in annual lost revenue — have left basic services out of reach for many residents. 'Ongoing sewer spillages, neglected infrastructure, and collapsed waste management systems have turned essential services into a luxury most communities can no longer count on,' Ngobeni added. Ngobeni further pointed to the ongoing sanitation crisis at the Ramaphosa informal settlement as a glaring example of Emfuleni's collapse. 'The fact that portable toilets have gone unserviced for more than four months is not just unacceptable — it should be the final straw…this level of neglect underscores why urgent intervention through Section 139(5) is no longer optional but absolutely necessary. 'Despite Premier Lesufi's belated instruction to the Gauteng Human Settlements Department to resolve the matter, it is clear that without intentional, decisive provincial intervention, residents will continue to suffer. Emfuleni's failure to provide basic sanitation is not confined to one settlement – it is a systemic, recurring feature of a municipality in collapse,' he said. Previously placed under administration due to chronic service delivery failures, Emfuleni Local Municipality remains in disarray. Ngobeni has slammed the earlier Section 139(1)(b) intervention, terminated in 2022, as a 'disastrous failure.' The party argued that the measure merely offered a façade of oversight while allowing Emfuleni's political leadership to retain control over the budget and continue with unchecked, irresponsible spending. "The situation has now escalated beyond discretionary oversight. ActionSA, therefore, supports the immediate implementation of a financial recovery plan in terms of Section 139(5), which would transfer financial control to National Treasury and impose mandatory reforms," he said. Ngobeni stated that ActionSA has formally submitted a proposal to the Gauteng Legislature's COGTA Committee, urging the Portfolio Committee and Premier Panyaza Lesufi to act swiftly. He said the municipality's dire financial state requires immediate fiscal control by the National Treasury to enforce a funded and credible budget capable of addressing years of financial mismanagement. 'An immediate fiscal control by National Treasury to enforce a funded and credible budget, aggressive debt recovery aligned with Eskom's debt relief framework, and prioritised infrastructure restoration in water, electricity, and sanitation,' said Ngobeni. He further added that stabilising the municipality's leadership is also crucial to turning things around. 'Appointing a permanent Municipal Manager and Chief Financial Officer without delay is vital to restoring governance and accountability in Emfuleni.' ActionSA is not the only political party placing pressure on the embattled Emfuleni Local Municipality. As previously reported by The Star, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has also taken decisive action by referring the municipality to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC). The DA is calling for a full investigation, citing long-standing and severe service delivery failures. According to the party, these failures have subjected residents to inhumane living conditions, effectively violating their constitutional rights to basic services such as clean water, adequate sanitation, and a safe and healthy environment. The Star [email protected] ActionSA is demanding that the Gauteng Premier place Emfuleni Local Municipality under mandatory administration due to years of financial mismanagement and service delivery failures that have led to a crisis. Image: File
IOL News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- IOL News
ActionSA condemns Orania and Kleinfontein as symbols of apartheid nostalgia
ActionSA condemns Orania and Kleinfontein, calling them modern symbols of racial division, not cultural pride. Image: File ActionSA condemned the existence of Orania and Kleinfontein, describing them as dangerous symbols of racial isolation masquerading as cultural preservation. ActionSA Parliamentary Chief Whip Lerato Ngobeni said she rejected the notion that these towns were legitimate expressions of cultural heritage. She called them 'sanctuaries of apartheid nostalgia, dressed up in the language of self-determination, but founded on the very bones of a brutal, exclusionary past'. Ngobeni criticises the use of Section 31 of the Constitution, which protects cultural rights, saying it has been 'dishonestly misused' to justify racial separation. 'That section protects cultural expression, not the establishment of modern-day Bantustans for those unwilling to let go of apartheid's legacy,' she said. The party, in a statement, said it rejected the idea that these towns are protected cultural enclaves, instead calling them 'ideological fault lines' rooted in apartheid-era thinking. The party draws a clear line between cultural preservation and what it sees as deliberate racial isolation, warning that Orania and Kleinfontein are not harmless communities but 'breeding grounds for division and symbolic violence against the dream of inclusion.' ActionSA contends that children raised in these towns are not being taught culture, but 'to fear difference, to internalise racial superiority, and to live apart rather than together.' Ngobeni does not confine her criticism to the towns themselves. She pointed to a wider political culture that tolerates and, in some cases, enables such divisions, accusing other parties in Parliament of hiding behind liberal or revolutionary façades while 'stoking hate, promoting division, and dodging responsibility for the flames they fan in society.' ActionSA places the ultimate blame on the African National Congress government for failing to dismantle apartheid's spatial and economic architecture. Ngobeni argues that decades of unfulfilled promises and rampant corruption have allowed racial exceptionalism to thrive. 'Instead of transformation, it delivered corruption, patronage, and dysfunction,' she said. 'It is precisely this failure that has given rise to racial exceptionalism disguised as cultural preservation.' While millions of Black and Coloured South Africans continue to struggle without access to basic services, jobs, or safety, ActionSA says Orania and Kleinfontein remain symbols of inequality. 'The worshippers of Verwoerd flourish, untouched and unbothered. It is an insult to every South African who dared to believe in the promise of a non-racial democracy,' Ngobeni said. She calls on South Africans to confront this reality directly, declaring, 'It is time to bury Verwoerd, not just in memory but also in law, policy, and everyday practice.' 'You cannot claim to love South Africa while dividing its people. You cannot provoke chaos and still call yourself a leader.' The condemnation of Kleinfontein has gained broader political traction beyond ActionSA. A week ago, thousands of Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) supporters marched to the 900-hectare settlement outside Pretoria, demanding its abolition. The Pretoria High Court recently declared Kleinfontein unlawful, ruling that the land was designated for agricultural use and not approved for residential development. EFF Gauteng chairperson Nkululeko Dunga, who led the march, called on Tshwane Municipality to immediately enforce the court's decision, halt illegal development, and investigate the legality of Kleinfontein's existence. 'Inspectors, law enforcement, and the city must investigate and regulate Kleinfontein,' Dunga said. In response, acting head of Tshwane's Human Settlements Department, Sello Chipu, assured marchers that the City would respond to the EFF's memorandum within 14 days. Dunga also addressed perceptions of racial animosity, stating: 'The EFF is a non-racist organisation. We have no business in hating white people. What we want is for Black people to understand that we are equal to them, and they are equal to us.' He added that white supremacy,not whiteness,was the target of their action. Get your news on the go, click here to join the IOL News WhatsApp channel. IOL Politics
