Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink. The metro is facing a severe service delivery crisis due to rising debts, ActionSA’s Herman Mashaba says, calling for accountability and reform in local leadership to address these urgent issues for residents. Picture: Jacques Naude / Independent Newspapers
Herman Mashaba, the leader of ActionSA, has raised critical concerns on the party’s coalition with the Democratic Alliance (DA) and has criticised the leadership of Tshwane’s mayor, Cilliers Brink.
Mashaba highlights financial mismanagement and poor service delivery in the detailed article that assesses the DA-led government's performance in Tshwane.
His goal is to hold the DA accountable, advocate for better governance, and justify ActionSA's potential withdrawal from the coalition.
In the article Mashaba says that despite being part of the current government, ActionSA has a responsibility to advocate for improved services for all residents of Tshwane, particularly given the DA's control since 2016.
One of the foremost issues Mashaba highlights is the city’s alarming financial situation.
He notes that Tshwane is currently insolvent, with a liquidity ratio of only 0.6.
“The City of Tshwane, as I write this article, is insolvent with a liquidity ratio of 0.6. Anyone with a financial background will tell you liquidity must be above 1,” he stated, emphasising the city's inability to settle its debts.
Mashaba says the city owes Eskom R6.83 billion, and a court case is pending as Eskom seeks to recover over R4 billion of that debt.
Additionally, he points out a growing liability of R1 billion owed to municipal workers for unpaid wage increases that have been promised over the years.
He has critiqued the city’s claim of 89% project spending, arguing that it is misleading due to the shifting of funds from under performing projects to those with available resources, often neglecting essential township initiatives.
An audit has found that only 37% of project goals have been met, and R12 billion in incomplete projects may need to be written off.
Moreover, Mashaba highlights a concerning decline in the infrastructure budget, which has dropped from over R4 billion to R2.1 billion in the current financial year.
This drastic reduction severely impacts service delivery across the city.
“This means that the renewal of aged infrastructure roads, water pipes, sewer lines, and electricity has been halved,” he noted, comparing Tshwane's budget unfavourably to Cape Town’s R11 billion, eThekwini’s R8.1 billion, and Johannesburg’s R6.9 billion.
In terms of service delivery performance, Mashaba says the city's Service Delivery Budget Implementation Plan indicates only 57% of targets have been met, showing only a slight improvement from the previous year.
He has criticised the lowering of service standards, such as extending response times for water complaints from 24 to 48 hours, and ceasing the tracking of electricity outage response times. “It's similar to improving education by lowering passing grades,” he remarked.
According to the city’s annual report, only 21% of pothole complaints, 45% of water complaints, and 38% of electricity complaints are resolved within standard response times, raising concerns about the city’s commitment to efficient service delivery.
Mashaba has emphasised the stark disparity in service delivery between suburbs and townships, revealing that while 64% of suburban residents have reported improvements, only 24% of township residents feel the same.
This disparity highlights the ongoing inequalities in service provision within the city.
Site visits conducted as part of ActionSA’s review revealed serious issues in townships, including irregular refuse collection, ongoing electricity outages in Soshanguve, and frequent water shortages and sewage spills in Mamelodi.
“Site visits show serious problems in townships, such as irregular refuse collection, ongoing electricity outages in Soshanguve, and frequent water shortages and sewage spills in Mamelodi,” he said.
While some believe ActionSA should resolve its differences with the DA, Mashaba contends that the coalition has provided minimal advantages for his party.
He says that the DA's actions have led to the election of a Speaker supported by the ANC and EFF after DA councillors spoilt their ballots.
He questions why all parties working with the DA report negative experiences, suggesting that the common issue may lie with the DA itself.
Mashaba concludes, “At the heart of this matter is our concern for proper, transparent governance in the City of Tshwane and about the plight of all its residents, irrespective of where in the city they reside.”
IOL