It seems obvious, but it becomes ominous coming from the mouth of Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Velenkosini Hlabisa: If the country’s eight metropolitan municipalities are not fully functional or are in a state of collapse, the country will soon collapse.
Although he didn’t say so in a recent engagement with mayors of many of these problematic cities, the reality is that the chickens of ANC looting and cadre deployment are now, three decades later, coming home to roost.
Hlabisa detailed that most metros are plagued by unfunded mandates, unfunded budgets and unauthorised, irregular, wasteful and fruitless expenditure.
“Most of them are indebted and are severely behind on payments to bulk suppliers, particularly Eskom and water boards,” the minister said.
That all translates into a slow-motion collapse and the inability to govern and provide services to their residents.
Hlabisa was blunt that we “stand at a crossroads” because, unless decisive action is taken, these metropolitan municipalities – which account for 62% of the nation’s population and generate over two-thirds of the GDP – are going down.
And they’re going to drag all of us down with them.
A perfect example is what is happening with the supposed reconstruction of the condemned Johannesburg Metro centre.
There’s been plenty of talk about turning the place into a new service-cum-shopping centre.
Oh, we can all relax: a TA, or transaction advisor, has been appointed to outline how a “public-private partnership” should proceed to drive the Phoenix-like reincarnation of the Metro centre.
In the meantime, estimates are that the municipality will be without a permanent home for at least a decade. Rome, don’t you know, wasn’t built in a day…
And, surprise, surprise, “temporary” accommodation costing millions a month is going to have to be rented. The connected comrade property tycoons are already lining up to feed on the metro’s corpse.
NOW READ: If metros collapse, the country collapses: Hlabisa sounds alarm to mayors
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