The Emfuleni Local Municipality’s financial situation further deteriorated with the approval of its sanitation budget which was adjusted downwards by R400m.

This is according to a media statement issued on Wednesday by FF Plus councillor Gerda Senekal.

“Emfuleni approved an unfunded budget for the 2024/25 financial year and because there is no improvement in the municipality’s finances, the budget remains unfunded,” she explains.

This means ELM will not be able to pay its creditors.

Among other things, ELM will also not be able to pay certain salaries, interest, or contracted services.

Emfuleni needs R720m to cover its monthly expenses.

“The dire situation can partly be attributed to the collection rate of municipal accounts which was only 72% in the second quarter. This is 12% lower than the projected collection rate of 85% or higher in the 2024/25 budget,” says Senekal. In short, this means that service delivery will deteriorate even further.

“No additional waste removal trucks will be able to be bought or hired, power and water faults will take longer to repair because there are no funds to purchase fuel for municipal vehicles, and sidewalks and public spaces will not be cleaned,” says Sekekal.

The FF Plus did not support the clean-up budget and thinks the municipality can be managed successfully if funds are properly controlled and used.

“The mismanagement of the municipality in recent years has destroyed Emfuleni and residents are paying the price,” Sekekal concluded.