LOCKED OUT AND LET DOWN: Emfuleni grinds to a halt as offices shut over unpaid rent
By Sitha Maliwa:
The heart of Emfuleni Local Municipality stopped beating on Wednesday morning - not with a bang, but with the cold clank of chains and the silence of locked gates.
Residents arriving at the municipal Customer Care Centre expecting help were instead greeted by shuttered doors and a notice that confirmed their worst fears: the municipality has run out of money - not just for diesel, not just for salaries, but to even keep the lights on and the doors open.
The shutdown was abrupt, but not unexpected. For weeks, signs of a deepening crisis had been unmissable. Garbage lay rotting on pavements, fire trucks sat idle with dry tanks, and frustrated workers whispered about late salaries. Now, with the very offices of governance sealed shut, Emful...