Yesterday, 19 December, 2018, a handover ceremony of housing units was held at the City of Johannesburg’s integrated development in Fleurhof by the Provincial Department of Human Settlements.
Bizarrely, despite the development being spearheaded by the City, the handover occurred without consultation with the City. According to reports, some 60 units were handed over for allocation. These 60 units formed part of an earmarked 200 units for military veterans.
The Fleurhof Development is led by the City of Johannesburg’s Housing Department with Calgro M3 as the implementing agent. It is therefore unfortunate that the correct channels for engagement were ignored in involving the City’s Housing Department in the allocation of these units.
The MMC for Housing, Councillor Meshack Van Wyk, said: “It is regrettable that we are unable to uphold the tenets of integrated governmental relations by engaging each other and working together towards the betterment of the lives of communities.”
This latest development comes hot on the heels of the Department’s irrational reduction of the Human Settlements Development Grant (HSDG) for the City of Johannesburg. This follows Provincial Government’s pattern of intentionally reducing the City’s HSDG funding post the 2016 local government elections in which the ANC lost control of the City’s purse.
Prior to the 2016 elections, the City was allocated R411 million for housing projects, however soon after entering office this was reduced by R66 million.
The following year, the Province reduced the City’s HSDG funding from R411 million to R145 million. Most recently, the Provincial Government, without warning or reason, reduced the City’s Human Settlements Development Grant (HSDG) funding by R180 million for the current financial year.
What the Province fails to realise is that these irrational decisions hurt our poorest residents the most. The City is of the opinion that the latest decision by the Province, without basis, withhold a major portion of our HSDG funding is an irrational and arbitrary decision. The Constitution specifically requires all spheres of government to work together for the benefit all those who call South Africa home. This requires all sphere to act in good faith.
It would appear that, in this regard, the MEC Moiloa is determined to do the opposite. Indeed, we have witnessed how the MEC has, in the past, been willing to abuse his office for cheap political ends. Indeed, earlier this year, I received notice from the MEC, of his decision to institute a section 106(1)(b) investigation into the City of Johannesburg.
Under the Municipal Systems Act, this piece of legislation empowers the MEC to appoint an investigation team to look into matters in which the MEC has “reason to believe that maladministration, fraud, corruption or any other serious malpractice has occurred…”
It is important to note that the matters which were supposedly to be investigated appeared to be a replication of the matters cited in the ANC in Johannesburg’s complaint to the Public Protector last year.
At the time, I responded to MEC Moiloa in writing, where I communicated the following:
1. It appears that his decision to institute a section 106(1)(b) investigation is motivated by politics rather than good governance principles;
This is substantiated by MEC Moiloa using a complaint raised by the ANC in Johannesburg, almost verbatim, and instituting an investigation without any effort to engage the City of Johannesburg. I believe that no effort has been made to rationally conclude that there exists “reason to believe that maladministration, fraud, corruption or any other serious malpractice has occurred…”
2. The Public Protector began investigating the allegations raised by the MEC last year. This arose from a complaint made by the ANC in Johannesburg, in 2017. The Public Protector has engaged the City of Johannesburg in the investigation. Duplicating this investigation demonstrates further the irrational nature of the MEC’s decision; and
3. The Inter-Governmental Relations Framework Act requires that spheres of Government engage on a good faith basis and in a manner which seeks to avoid unnecessary inter-governmental disputes and litigation. The MEC has avoided compliance with this Act.
Arising from my concern that this process is being politically driven, I asked the MEC to indicate on how many occasions and when last an MEC of COGTA in Gauteng relied on this piece of legislation.
This is pertinent because in dealing with the 4000 cases of fraud, corruption and maladministration in Johannesburg, totalling over R24 billion, never once has anyone in Provincial Government displayed any interest in these investigations. This includes the multi-billion rand cases of the EPG Smart Meters and the MTC Broadband which implicates two National Ministers and a diplomat.
To this, there was no forth coming response. Indeed, I understand the matter to have been resolved since.
While the Provincial government would claim that the City is unwilling to engage on matters of mutual interest and concern, particularly for the sake of residents, it is in fact MEC Moiloa and his department who are guilty of that crime.
I implore the MEC to uphold proper levels of engagements with the City and ensure that the petty politicking does not overtake service delivery.
Cllr Herman Mashaba
Executive Mayor
City of Johannesburg
Media queries:
Luyanda Mfeka
Director: Mayoral Communications
Office of the Executive Mayor
City of Johannesburg
Tel: 011 407 6727
Cellular: 076 171 5978
Email: luyandam@joburg.org.za
