DA demands accountability on R1.4bn debt owed to Mangaung Metro!

The Democratic Alliance (DA) says it remains unconvinced by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) plans to collect the R1.4 billion debt owed to the Mangaung Metropolitan.

In March, the Mangaung-Metro reported the government debt to still be at R1.4 billion following a 15-month period since a national intervention.

These are funds owed by the national government, the Free State provincial government, and also state-owned entities.

The DA councillor in Mangaung-Metro, Tjaart van der Walt, says is rather intolerable for government departments to negotiate payments and neglect to hold their end of the deal.

He further stated that they would seek “detailed information” regarding these payment plans.

“We will also monitor whether the government is adhering to this obligation,” added van der Walt.

Van der Walt believes 15 months to be adequate time for the municipality to bear noticeable improvements in service delivery, finances and administration.

According to van der Walt, critical positions identified in the 2019 Financial Recovery Plan remain unfilled. These are some of the things “hindering the financial recovery” of the Metro.

“The DA calls for accountability and the urgent filling of these positions with capable staff to drive the municipality’s financial recovery and ensure effective service delivery,” concluded van der Walt.