Dear Editor
The DA has requested the Eastern Cape Provincial Government to intervene in the Inxuba Yethemba Municipality, where irregular expenditure over a three-month period has spiralled to millions of rands.
The Municipality’s recently submitted Irregular Expenditure Report for the period 1 April to 30 June 2025 reveals a total of R11,5 million in irregular expenditure.
In the face of this irresponsible waste of public money, a crucial project to pave three streets in Michausdal, Nxuba has come to a standstill due to non-payment, and the administration has spent millions on staff training and a sports tournament.
The same report indicated that the Municipality paid over R5,25 million to a service provider for staff training services. It was also confirmed that R671,500 was spent on an Easter sports tournament in Nxuba.
The R14 million paving project began on 16 July 2024 and was originally scheduled for completion in February 2025. However, the Municipality has only paid approximately R681,000 to date. Work came to a halt in June 2025 when the contractor abandoned the site due to non-payment. The persistent delays in this project are severely inconveniencing residents, who face flooding in the affected streets during rainfall.
Despite numerous attempts to raise these matters in Council and through written correspondence to both the Mayor and the Municipal Manager, no response has been forthcoming.
DA EC Midlands Constituency Leader, Heinrich Müller MPL, has now written to the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Zolile Williams, requesting his urgent intervention.
It is crucial that MEC Williams act immediately. The Municipality’s persistent lack of transparency and irresponsible handling of public funds can no longer be tolerated and requires urgent attention.
The Municipality’s apparent prioritisation of events and trainings over essential service delivery highlights the ANC-led government’s lack of commitment to improving the lives of residents.
The residents of the Inxuba Yethemba Municipality deserve better. They deserve a DA government that is dedicated to delivering essential services and enhancing their quality of life.
Regards
Cllr Bettie Lawens
DA Inxuba Yethemba Caucus