The Democratic Alliance (DA) has accused the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality of only focusing on addressing Bloemfontein’s challenges while neglecting the rural towns under its jurisdiction.
The party says the municipality has no plans in place to address issues such as water shortages, sewerage reticulation, refuse removal or road maintenance in areas outside the Free State capital.
DA councillor Maryke Davies made these claims after Mangaung’s acting municipal manager, Tebogo Motlashuping, tabled his report on the state of affairs in the metro during an ordinary council meeting last week.
Motlashuping is part of the interim management team appointed by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma in April to run Mangaung following the placement of the municipality under national administration for failing to deal with its financial and service delivery challenges.
“The report states the problems plaguing Bloemfontein residents, with no substantial solutions or what turnaround the administration team has accomplished during their four-month tenure,” Davies said in a statement on Wednesday.
“The only mention of Botshabelo, Thaba Nchu, Van Stadensrus, Wepener, Dewetsdorp and Soutpan is the creation of animal and vehicle pounds, the deployment of traffic and law enforcement vehicles and the number of cemeteries.
“Most of the report focused on plans to address Bloemfontein’s difficulties.”
To back her claims, Davies cited a water pipe that she said had been leaking in De Beer Street, Wepener, for more than six months.
She also said Van Stadensrus residents had been without water for more than five months “due to a borehole pump that must be replaced”.
Siesta Old Age Home in Soutpan, she claimed, has had overflowing sewerage for months, causing a health and safety risk for the residents.
“No plans are in place to address the issues of the rural towns pertaining to water shortages, sewerage reticulation, non-operational landfill sites, refuse removal, roads or securing state-owned communal land,” Davies said.
“The DA will not allow the rural towns in the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality to be forgotten.
“We will continue placing pressure on the municipality through all available communication channels, relevant municipal management structures and mayoral committee members.”
Motlashuping had not yet responded to The Free Stater’s request for his comment on the issue at the time of publishing.