Speaker, the Mopani District Municipality in Limpopo, under the ANC, is in a sorry state of affairs. It has emerged that funds, provided by the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs to sink boreholes in the municipality, were paid to contractors at prices up to 10 times more than the market price.
After an inspection by the department, no boreholes were found to have been sunk. To make matters worse, a contractor was apparently paid R1,8 million for a sewerage booster pump station to improve sewerage pond overflow, but shock and horror: On investigation by the Department of Water and Environmental Affairs, no pond was found. In fact, there is no space for a pond.
The DA is in possession of documentation that shows that an instruction was given to a contractor, BMK Electronics, to perform emergency work at various water treatment works and an acknowledgment by the municipality that the work was completed. The municipal manager, Mr M Maake, disputes having given the instruction to contractors to do this work, but where is the money?
The DA calls on the Auditor-General and the Public Protector to investigate the allegations of money paid to contractors in the Mopani District Municipality for work that has not been completed. The people of Giyani and the surrounding towns in the district of Mopani have a right to receive the service delivery that has been promised to them. There is a very urgent need for accountability from all officials in this municipality. Thank you. [Applause.]