The Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) has installed nine solar high-mast lights at an inflated price of R3 742 893, 36. This decision comes amid a serious service delivery and financial crisis, during which the municipality has struggled to pay its debts and provide quality basic services to its residents, the Democratic Alliance said in a statement.
This information was revealed by the Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Jacob Mamabolo, in a written reply to the questions tabled by the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature (GPL). According to MEC Mamabolo, Emfuleni hired Ngwato Engineering Services to install nine solar high mast lights for R8 280 000, “In the DA-led Midvaal, where residents get value for money and there is accountability on how public money is spent, two of the same solar high-mast lights were installed for R1 008 245, 92. This is an equivalent of R504 122, 96 for each light. While Emfuleni, with a budget of R8 280 000, could have installed 16 solar high-mast lights instead of nine. This means that Emfuleni spent R920 000 per light in comparison with Midvaal; they have overspent by R415 877, 04 on each solar light.
Emfuleni’s decision to install these lights at such an overly inflated price raises suspicions and questions about possible corruption in the procurement of these lights. It also raises questions about resource allocation and prioritization of essential services in the municipality. This is a dazzling waste, especially in a municipality facing serious issues, he further emphasized that “there are unpaid debts to Eskom, Rand Water, and other creditors; refuse is not being collected; roads are filled with potholes; and sewage is flooding streets, jeopardizing the health of residents.”
