By Dirk Kotze | DA Councillor Mangaung Metro Municipality
Note to editors: Please find attached English and Afrikaans soundbites by Cllr Dirk Kotze and Sesotho soundbite by Cllr Kabelo Mooreng
The Democratic Alliance (DA) vows to take decisive action to rescue Mangaung Metro from financial mismanagement and poor service delivery.
The latest Auditor-General’s report paints a damning picture of a municipality in crisis. The report reveals staggering financial mismanagement, including material misstatements, procurement irregularities, and widespread non-compliance with financial regulations.
Unauthorised expenditure has skyrocketed to R1.34 billion, irregular spending stands at R277 million, and fruitless waste totals R122.5 million. These funds should have been allocated to critical services but have instead been squandered through corruption and incompetence, leaving residents and businesses paying for services they are not receiving.
The consequences of this mismanagement are dire. Residents and businesses are left paying for services that are not being delivered, resulting in widespread frustration and discontent. Water and sanitation projects are perpetually delayed or abandoned, roads are riddled with potholes and prone to flooding, and waste collection services are failing.
Illegal dumping has become commonplace, and the city’s landfill sites do not meet required compliance standards, putting the environment and public health at risk.
The DA is appalled by the ANC-led administration’s lack of accountability. Investigations into fraudulent overtime payments, irregular tenders, and unauthorised contract payments have yielded nothing but inaction.
Corruption in the Metro Police and Transport Infrastructure departments remains under scrutiny, yet corrupt officials are allowed to continue in their roles due to political shielding. The DA demands that those responsible for these crimes face immediate disciplinary action and criminal prosecution.
The report also highlights severe instability in the municipality’s leadership, with multiple acting appointments in key positions. Leadership that is inconsistent, unaccountable, and constantly in flux cannot be expected to deliver effective governance.
The DA has long called for competent, ethical leadership in Mangaung, and the Auditor-General’s findings confirm that the ANC-led administration has failed in this regard.
To address this crisis, the DA proposes the following urgent actions:
- Enforce strict financial controls to prevent unauthorised, irregular, and wasteful expenditures, ensuring that funds are used efficiently and transparently to deliver essential services.
- Suspend officials implicated in financial mismanagement and refer all corruption cases to law enforcement for prosecution.
- Stabilise leadership by appointing qualified, ethical executives and removing political interference from municipal operations.
- Prioritise essential services like water, sanitation, electricity, and waste management, with strict performance monitoring to ensure municipal targets are met.
- Fix the broken billing system to ensure accurate revenue collection and prevent further withholding of crucial grants by the National Treasury.
The time for change is now. The ANC has repeatedly proven it cannot effectively govern Mangaung. The DA is ready to offer the leadership, ethical governance, and accountability that this municipality so desperately needs. The people of Mangaung deserve a government that works for them—led by honest, accountable, and competent officials who are committed to restoring service delivery and financial stability.
We will continue to fight for the residents of this city, holding this administration accountable for its failures. We urge all residents to stand with us in demanding better governance, improved service delivery, and a brighter future for Mangaung—one that no longer includes the ANC.