Limpopo municipalities are collapsing 

16 October 2019

Like elsewhere in the country, local governments in Limpopo are teetering on the edge of utter ruin.

During a visit that the parliamentary Portfolio Committee for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) paid to the province, it became very clear that local government has regressed to mere crisis management and that there is no longer any sign of professional, sustainable government.

This is mainly due to damaging policies like Affirmative Action (AA). No planning is done, critical positions remain unfilled and utterly incompetent people are appointed due to cadre deployment.

On top of that, no action is taken against managers who are guilty of corruption and fraud. The municipal managers who unlawfully invested tax money in the VBS scheme are still being paid their full salaries with benefits an entire year after they were suspended and there is no indication of when and how they will be held accountable.

It comes down to being given a golden handshake for the irregular investments they made in VBS. The result of this is the total collapse of basic services, like sewerage, and the destruction of infrastructure.

It is fast becoming a much greater problem as in the future, the impact of the resultant issues like environmental pollution, and the associated health risks, will be nearly immeasurable.

It is an absolute shame that the ANC government has apparently decided to keep defending corrupt cadres at the expense of the people in Limpopo. Now having a greater influence in the local government, the FF Plus will ensure that this terrible situation is resolved.

Issued by Michal Groenewald, FF Plus MP and chief spokesperson: Cooperative governance and traditional affairs, 16 October 2019