As scores of employees in two state buildings in Mthatha continue to work from home, the Eastern Cape public works department has admitted it owes the local municipality millions of rand in unpaid rates and services. The Dispatch reported in November that the King Sabata Dalindyebo municipality (KSD) disconnected the electricity supply to the Botha Sigcau and KD Matanzima buildings, forcing staff in many departments to engage in remote work. At the time, KSD mayor Nyaniso Nelani said the municipality had attempted to reach out to public works without success and warned that the time for freeloading by government departments was over.
This week, Eastern Cape public works spokesperson Vuyani Nkasayi confirmed the department owed about R3.5m to the municipality for rates and services in the two buildings. “The KSD municipality disconnected electricity for outstanding debt on rates and services for other government properties and not necessarily for Botha Sigcawu and KD Matanzima buildings,” he said. “[The department] is experiencing a shortage of funds and has been unable to settle the debt with the municipality.
“We are aware that this disconnection is affecting service delivery in the area and as public works we would like to apologise for this inconvenience. We are engaging the municipality on the issue.” The era of arrangements is over. It is grossly unfair to law-abiding ratepayers when state entities default on their obligations.
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In November, Nelani’s spokesperson, Olwethu Mabovula, said KSD was owed in excess of R149m and that most of the debt had been incurred by properties owned by public works. Nelani said nonpayment of rates negatively affected the municipality’s revenue and the sustainability of its services and warned government departments that the time for negotiating was over. “The era of arrangements is over.
It is grossly unfair to law-abiding ratepayers when state entities default on their obligations,” he said. Government departments housed in the two buildings include health, social development, transport, education, agriculture, sport, recreation, arts and culture, environmental affairs, the police VIP protection service and social security agency Sassa.
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