Flooding in KwaZulu-Natal last year caused major damage to infrastructure. (Photo: Rajesh Jantilal/AFP)
Millions of rands allocated to municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal for much-needed spending on essential infrastructure have been returned unspent to the national treasury.
Martin Meyer, the DA’s spokesperson on cooperative government and traditional affairs (Cogta) in KwaZulu-Natal, says it came to light during a portfolio committee meeting that grant is being spent at a snail’s pace. This means that some municipalities have forfeited the allowance entirely.
“The DA is extremely concerned about the slow pace at which this grant is spent, as the grant is specifically for the development of infrastructure.
“It is equally worrying that we are approaching the end of the financial year with this grant still unused.”
Meyer says the shocking state of municipal infrastructure, especially water and sewage systems and roads, in most parts of the province precisely requires that this grant must be spent urgently. Yet this is not the case.
The DA is now calling on Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi, MEC for collaborative government in the province, to introduce stricter measures and timely interventions when it comes to the spending of municipal infrastructure grants (MITs).
According to Meyer, the uThukela district municipality, where there are serious water problems, returned R40 million of its grant to the national treasury because it was not spent.
The uMkhanyakude district municipality spent only 26% of its grant and consequently forfeited R30 million. The Amjuba, Nquthu and Big Five Hlabisa municipalities only spent 38.9%, 46.8% and 51% of their grant respectively.
“The failure to spend available money is unacceptable and a slap in the face of KwaZulu-Natal’s millions of residents who constantly suffer due to poor service delivery.
“The severe damage to infrastructure that the province suffered during severe flooding last year only makes the lack of spending even more disturbing.”
Meyer says the DA will urgently liaise with its municipal caucuses in KwaZulu-Natal in an attempt to force municipalities to spend the money made available to them.
“We welcome the Cogta portfolio committee chairman’s undertaking to request a joint meeting with national counterparts to find out why KwaZulu-Natal has not followed Cogta’s recommendations regarding grant allocations.
“Municipal underspending is as intolerable as overspending.”
