Emfuleni Mayor responds to funding threat over debts and service failures

702's Clement Manyathela is joined by Emfuleni Mayor Sipho Radebe to discuss the state of the municipality.

Listen below:

It was identified recently as one of 39 municipalities which have consistently failed to make good on their debts.

Water boards - unpaid. Pension funds- unpaid. Medical aids, SARS, the Auditor-General - all victims of non-payment by the Emfuleni Local Municipality.

It's been flagged by the finance minister who has threatened to withhold funding from several municipalities over their poor finances.

Emfuleni has become infamous for service delivery failures and last week it was locked out of its offices as it owes the landlord R2.6-million in unpaid rent.

Political parties have repeatedly called for the municipality to be placed under administration.

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"It was one office that was locked... but as I speak to you now,  the office has been opened and the work and the business is continuing."

- Sipho Radebe, Emfuleni Mayor

"It was a question that we couldn't have access to the account, not on the narrative that said the municipality does not have money to pay - it's just we were unable to get access to our account."

- Sipho Radebe, Emfuleni Mayor

Radebe blames the high unemployment rate in the municipality for some of its debt.

"We are also unable to collect from the revenue, from the tax, and we are unable to collect from the people to say that they need to pay for their services."

- Sipho Radebe, Emfuleni Mayor

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