The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) welcomes the report submitted by the Gauteng Legislature’s Committee for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) to the Legislature on the total collapse and ongoing financial troubles of the Emfuleni Local Municipality (Evaton, Sebokeng, Vaal Oewer, Vanderbijlpark, Vereeniging).
The report, covering the period from 2016–2025, clearly shows that Emfuleni’s financial collapse was brought on by long-term non-compliance with the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA), poor leadership and the failure to act on repeated audit warnings.
These findings confirm the Freedom Front Plus’s repeated warnings since 2016 about mismanagement, corruption and a lack of internal controls.
The report proposes the following recommendations and interventions:
- Full section-139(1)(c) administration: The Municipality should be placed under full administration, with financial control transferred to the provincial or national treasury.
- Compiling a financial recovery plan: A multidisciplinary team should be appointed to implement a recovery plan aligned with section 138 of the MFMA.
- Forensic audit and consequence management: A detailed audit should be conducted to probe missing funds and irregular expenditure, followed by criminal prosecution where applicable.
- Revenue improvement strategy: Reform billing systems, improve data integrity and increase debt collection.
- Transparent public reporting: Annual financial statements and audit outcomes should be publicly disclosed to restore public trust.
The Freedom Front Plus is concerned that the proposed interventions may not have the desired effect as Emfuleni was placed under partial administration in 2018 with no significant improvement in financial management or service delivery.
In addition, Emfuleni residents and businesses are already required to settle their electricity and water accounts directly with Eskom and Rand Water, and it is doubtful whether these bulk suppliers will do away with this arrangement any time soon.
The only sustainable way to rescue Emfuleni from its predicament is to remove the ANC from power in the 2026 local government elections.
Emfuleni residents deserve better than a chaotic and declining municipality.
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