R75 million in grant funding forfeited due to leadership crisis in Mangaung

13 April 2023                  

Due to ANC’s infighting, Mangaung has no Mayor and no City Manager. Just last week a Speaker was elected from the Democratic Alliance, an opposition party. This points to a leadership crisis in the metro and this comes at the expense of service delivery.

As a result of this chaos, the metro has forfeited R75 million in conditional grant funding that had to be returned to the Treasury unspent. This is money could have been utilized for service delivery.

Specifically, R75 million could have been used to build 686 RDP houses at an average cost of R110. 000.

The majority of Mangaung residents do not have proper toilets and with this grant funding 7500 toilets could have been built at R10 000 per toilet.

This is money that could have been used to construct 25 km paved roads in townships which costs R300 for every square meter.

To combat crime and create youth employment, this money could have been used to create 425 neighbourhood watch jobs for a stipend of R1500.

Households spending R500 a month on electricity which equals to R6000 a year, the municipality could have assisted 12 500 households with free electricity for a year.

This could have also been used to create Smart City in all Mangaung’s informal settlements by providing 100 Mpbs free Wi-Fi benefitting 200 000 people.

In addition to forfeiting this crucial grant funding, the municipality has failed to pass its 2022/23 budget on two occasions due to infighting within the ANC.

Mangaung is being held hostage by persistent ANC infighting and the only way for it to begin recovery is to remove the ANC itself.

Mangaung Metro is a failed municipality that can only be salvaged by is dissolution and the holding of fresh elections to bring the ANC below 50% and the installation of a government that has the needs of the people at its centre.

ActionSA will continue to agitate for the dissolution of this metro council.

As a party committed to the rule of law and social justice, ActionSA will not rest until the residents of Mangaung receive the services they deserve.

Issued by Patricia Kopane, ActionSA Chairperson, 13 April 2023