ELM councilor has not paid municipal rates for seven years
SEDIBENG.- The Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) is struggling to collect debts, but Andries Lekeletsane, ANC Ward Councilor for Ward 39 of the struggling ELM, apparently has not paid municipal rates for the past seven years.
Lekeletsane, who was elected councilor in 2016, was exempted from municipal rates and lives off a taxpayer subsidy (indigent).
This type of subsidy is mostly awarded to needy households, if they qualify for it.
The only problem is that Lekeletsane earns about ten times more than the required limit for such a subsidy.
He apparently earns almost R40 000 per month, while only people who pay R3 500 or less qualify for the subsidy.
Lekeletsane was on the front page of the Sowetan (a daily nnational newspaper) on Wednesday (28 June 2023) after the news came to light.
The struggling ELM is one of Gauteng’s poorest municipalities and knee-deep in debt to Rand Water and Eskom.
The municipality is also struggling to collect overdue money.
Lekeletsane told Sowetan that he never asked to be placed on the subsidy register.
Lekeletsane tells how he moved to Evaton in 2008, where most of the residents are not in possession of title deeds linked to municipal accounts.
He admits that he has not paid municipal rates for the past seven years, but says the problem is that he and other residents of the area do not have title deeds linked to a municipal account.
According to Lekeletsane, he has approached the speaker about the issue.
