Central SA
‘Switch off power if provincial departments don’t pay’ - minister Dlamini-Zuma─── KEKELETSO MOSEBETSI 12:12 Wed, 20 Apr 2022
The Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, has told the Mangaung Metro Municipality to switch off power and water services to non-paying provincial departments.
OFM News previously reported that the troubled, Bloemfontein-based Mangaung Metro's Council has been stripped of its executive powers by the National Department of Cogta after being placed under administration at the end of 2019.
Also read - #BreakingNews: Mangaung stripped of its powers by national government
Dlamini-Zuma led strategic follow-up engagements with the Mangaung Metro Council, Free State provincial government leaders and various stakeholders, including labour.
The metro has been in the spotlight recently for all the wrong reasons. It is the first metro in the country to be placed under the care of the national government.
“I think it's important that the departments pay. We say that citizens must pay the municipality, the same must go for the province. The province must pay current and pay what it owes, and if they don't already have a plan of how they are paying what they owe, you switch off,” said Dlamini-Zuma.
Also read: Dlamini-Zuma returns to troubled Mangaung
She also said the issue of huge salaries and the payment of ghost workers will be investigated. Dlamini-Zuma cautioned that the Provincial Government should not interfere with the administration of the Metro.
