Press Statement by – Lehlohonolo Madumise DA Councillor in Govan Mbeki Local Municipality
The DA in Govan Mbeki demands a forensic investigation into the alleged mismanagement of water tankers that were tasked with supplying water to various regions in the municipality.
A report on water tankers was tabled to Council in October 2024, but due to insufficient evidence, Council then referred the report to MPAC for further investigation.
A year later, management has still not provided MPAC with a tangible response as to why the municipality is channeling thousands of rands to water tankers that are seemingly not appearing on the water tanker invoice list.
MPAC reports in our possession have shown the following:
The registration of trucks that are recorded in the water collection receipts does not match the registration of trucks that belong to appointed companies.
There is no proof on the volume of water delivered compared to the volume of water that was collected.
As companies were paid per hour, not per delivery, there is no sufficient proof of how many deliveries they made either per hour or per day.
Despite this, there is no accountability from the municipality, except for an email where one Regional Manager confirms that the trucks collected water. This cannot be sufficient, as there’s no evidence or paper trail that shows that the abstracted water was delivered to residents.
Notably, residents have been complaining that water is not distributed evenly. In some instances, councillors received complaints that water trucks were selling water to residents, instead of giving them for free and that some were prioritising their friends.
Noting the seriousness of this matter, the DA expects the municipality to carry out this investigation within two months and uncover the full extent of the syndicate’s operations and ensure accountability prevails.
Should the municipality fail to conduct this investigation urgently and independently, the DA will escalate this matter to the provincial Department of CoGHSTA and the Public Protector’s office.
The people of Govan Mbeki deserve transparent, ethical governance not leaders who abuse their power and the resources meant to serve the community. We will continue to push for accountability, transparency and sound governance reforms that place Govan Mbeki Local Municipality on a path toward sustainability and reliable service delivery.