HIGHVELD – The South African Communist Party (SACP) in Mpumalanga has called on the provincial government to come forward with permanent solutions to eradicate the sewage crisis in eMbalenhle and other areas in the province.
The party recently held its annual Augmented Provincial Executive Committee (PEC) meeting.
The meeting was attended by the Central Committee deployee, PEC, DECs and sub-districts of the Party, with the Young Communist League of South Africa and Alliance partners, Cosatu and Sanco.
The party resolved to adopt an annual programme of action that seek to confront all the challenges that are faced by the masses of the working class and the poor in the province, in the country and in the world as a whole.
Me Lesetja Dikgale, SACP spokesman, said the PEC noted with serious concern the state of municipalities in Mpumalanga taking from both the Auditor General’s audit outcomes report together with the practical assessment made by the structures of the party on the ground.
“The concern draws from the disclaimers received by some of the municipalities including the Govan Mbeki Municipality, the downward spiral on the financial standing of the municipalities, poor service delivery rendered to the masses of our people by most of the municipalities in the province.
“The PEC has made a very strong call for the provincial government to restore the dignity of the people by ensuring that the ever pouring sewage at Rooikopen in Lekwa, Extension 10 to 26 in eMbalenhle and many other areas in our province be put to an end.
“Not to give thugs a chance to steal the money intended for our communities again as they did before. We further call on the MEC for Cogta to subject all municipalities that are found to be unable to deliver on their mandate of delivering services to the people as required by law, into a process of forensic investigation.
“Those that will be found by the investigation to have stolen from the public purse, be subjected to due processes by the law enforcement agencies.”
The party raised its concerns about the high levels of unemployment and that there are signs of weak or nonexistent Local Economic Development (LED) within the municipalities.
The PEC has called on all structures of the party to begin engagements with municipalities to establish the means of changing the situation of the people through their LED strategies.
“The PEC was shuttered upon receiving the report on the outcomes of the implementation of the Joe Slovo right to learn campaign, which has revealed that tens of thousands of young people have been excluded from schooling due to not having registration papers.
“We call upon the provincial government together with the Minister of Home Affairs to urgently resolve this matter as it has very disastrous results for the future of this province and our country.”
Mr Benzi Soko, Govan Mbeki Municipality, Chief of Staff, said: “The audit report is first supposed to be tabled to the council in the next council meeting.
“We will only then be able to issue a statement after the council has deliberated on it.”
