By Rorisang Rampheteng:
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has raised serious concerns over a growing gap between reported municipal performance and the lived reality of residents in Mangaung, following the tabling of the municipality’s second-quarter Service Delivery and Budget Implementation Plan (SDBIP) performance report.
In terms of Sections 52 and 72 of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA), Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality reported that 126 of 143 projects were scheduled for implementation during the second quarter. However, actual performance reached only 69%, leaving a 19-percentage-point shortfall halfway through the financial year. “This is not a technical reporting issue; it is a clear service delivery failure,” said DA Councillor Jan-Hendrik Cronje.
Municipality Off Track on Annual Targets and Projects fail to Meet targets
Cronje warned that the weak second-quarter performance has already placed the municipality off track to meet its annual Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and SDBIP commitments. He said the performance gap reflects deeper problems in planning, procurement and project execution within the municipality. A closer analysis of the SDBIP report reveals that 40 projects fell below acceptable performance levels and failed to meet their quarterly targets. Of these, 15 projects scored between 0% and 49%, indicating severe delays or non-implementation, while 25 projects scored between 50% and 99%, meaning targets were not fully achieved.“These figures confirm that projects intended to improve residents’ lives are not being completed,” Cronje said.
Residents feel Service Delivery Breakdown
The DA says the failure to execute projects within legal timeframes is directly translating into worsening service delivery across Mangaung. Residents are experiencing ongoing refuse removal backlogs, with some areas going weeks without collection, posing serious health and environmental risks. There are also growing concerns over discoloured and unsafe water, as well as rapidly deteriorating roads, increasingly being repaired by private companies, community organisations and residents. “While community intervention is commendable, it is not something to celebrate. It is an indictment of a municipality failing in its basic mandate,” Cronje said.
Water Losses Contradict Reported Performance
Of particular concern, the DA highlighted findings by the municipality’s Risk Committee indicating that nearly 50% of treated water in Mangaung is lost through leaks and non-revenue water. This, the party says, directly contradicts the performance figures reported in the SDBIP and points to a failure to prioritise infrastructure maintenance and leak repairs.
DA Calls for Accountability and Recovery Plans
The DA has formally submitted questions to the City Manager and Chief Financial Officer regarding the municipality’s performance. The party is calling for project-level reporting instead of averages, urgent recovery plans for waste removal, water services and road maintenance, firm consequence management for non-performance, and realistic planning aligned with the municipality’s actual operational capacity. “Mangaung does not need better excuses; it needs better execution,” Cronje said. –@NewsSA_Online
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