In this file photo, Gauteng cooperative governance and traditional affairs MEC Lebogang Maile says that the DA will be engaging in a futile exercise when they host a special meeting to elect a new mayor on Tuesday 10 March.
Photo: Twitter/Lebogang Maile
Emfuleni council spends more than R215m on travel claims, says DA
The DA slammed the cash-strapped municipality for its sky-high travel claims while it owes Eskom R2.3 billion in debt.
In this file photo, Gauteng cooperative governance and traditional affairs MEC Lebogang Maile says that the DA will be engaging in a futile exercise when they host a special meeting to elect a new mayor on Tuesday 10 March.
Photo: Twitter/Lebogang Maile
It is unacceptable for the Emfuleni Local Municipality to spend R215 million on travel claims while the money could have been spent on reducing debt owed to Eskom, the DA said on Sunday.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) was deeply concerned that the cash-strapped African National Congress-led Emfuleni local municipality had spent R215 550 063 in the past five financial years on travel claims, DA Gauteng MPL Kingsol Chabalala said in a statement.
This was revealed by Gauteng cooperative governance and traditional affairs MEC Lebogang Maile in a written reply to the DA’s questions tabled in the Gauteng legislature, he said.
‘Unacceptable’ Emfuleni travel claims
According to Maile, travel claims spent by Emfuleni were:
- January 2020 (R21 539 322);
- June 2019 (36 051 927);
- June 2018 (R45 761 557);
- June 2017 (R38 029 590);
- June 2016 (R37 281 281); and
- June 2015 (R36 886 383).
“It is unacceptable for the municipality to spend exorbitant amounts of money on travel claims while they have a fleet of municipal vehicles to be used for service delivery purposes. It is also worrying that this municipality which is facing a serious cash-flow problem continues to spend money on travel claims,” Chabalala said.
Furthermore, it was concerning that this amount of money had been spent on travel claims given the fact that most of the areas that officials would travel to, were located within close proximity of each other.
Eskom debt
“This money could have been spent on reducing debt owed to Eskom and since Eskom has attached the municipality’s fleet this means that the travel claims will skyrocket,” he said.
The DA called on Maile to clamp down on travel claims in Emfuleni as part of his interventions to save this municipality. It was high time that the ANC-led Gauteng government put residents of Emfuleni first by dissolving the council, as service delivery had collapsed.
“We will continue to put pressure on both Gauteng Premier David Makhura and MEC Maile to dissolve the Emfuleni council and to monitor how this municipality is wasting taxpayers’ money,” Chabalala said.
— By African News Agency (ANA), editing by Jacques Keet
