Opposition parties in Mangaung have dismissed the metro’s 2025/26 budget, citing persistent service delivery failures and a legacy of corruption and mismanagement within the ANC-led administration.

The EFF councillors notably boycotted the special council meeting held on Tuesday (27/5), where Mayor Gregory Nthatisi presented the state of the city address and tabled the budget.

The proposed budget, which amounts to close to R2 billion over the next three years, aims to address critical service delivery and infrastructure challenges. However, opposition councillors argue the budget perpetuates past failures and inadequately addresses the metro’s dire issues.

PA Cllr Sophia Swartz vehemently opposed the budget, stating that the budget does not uplift the metro but rather entrenches past failures and dims the future. Swartz pointed to the Auditor General’s report, which revealed that in the 2023/24 financial year, the metro overspent its budget by 111% while delivering only 45% of promised services.

She criticised the administration for its inability to restore stability, despite being under Section 139 intervention since April 2022.

‘Shameful relic of inequality with millions allocated merely to empty them’

“In 2022, when our city manager was forcefully removed, it reflected the disorder in Mangaung, a disorder this budget fails to resolve. How can we endorse a plan built on such a shaky foundation?” she asked.

She also highlighted the metro’s challenges, including 30.5% unemployment, water interruptions, illegal dumping, raw sewage in townships, and the continued use of pit toilets. “Pit toilets, a shameful relic of inequality, persist, with millions allocated merely to empty them,” Swartz remarked.

FF Plus CLLR Valerie De Cock raised concerns about administrative shortcomings and financial mismanagement, citing the R235 million conditional grant Mangaung had to return to the National Treasury. She said the grant could have built 800 RDP houses, calling it a serious red flag.

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De Cock also criticised the revised budget, which she described as a document that looks good on paper but fails in implementation.

“If the Metro continues on its current path of mismanagement, we will once again see conditional grants returned and even fewer projects completed,” she warned.

“This is not a mere budget issue; it’s a failure of systemic issues. We cannot allow fictional success to obscure tangible suffering. The Metro must take accountability, ensure future grants are not returned, and urgently restore service delivery.”

OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi mvh