The Democratic Alliance (DA) has formally written to the mayor, speaker, and chief whip of the Inxuba Yethemba Local Municipality (IYLM), whom we hold responsible as the architects of the municipality’s downfall, demanding their immediate resignation.
While the mayor is driving her new Audi Q5, paid for by the ratepayers, service delivery in the municipality, which encompasses the towns of Cradock and Middelburg, has effectively ground to a halt, while blatant maladministration and the misappropriation of public funds have become entrenched.
The DA believes that the mayor, speaker, and chief whip must bear responsibility. In our letter, we demand that they take the honourable course of action and resign, as this is in the best interests of IYLM and its residents.
The Inxuba Yethemba Municipality is in crisis and on the verge of total collapse.
Only one of the municipality’s five tractors are operational, and none of its municipal TLBs (tractor-loader-backhoes) or tipper trucks are in working condition.
The municipality is grappling with a staggering debt of over R600 million owed to Eskom, which continues to escalate daily. As a result, residents are subjected to unreliable electrical services, characterised by frequent power outages, broken streetlights, and unchecked electricity distribution losses and theft.
Crumbling roads and clogged stormwater drains are widespread on nearly every street. Daily water outages, often without explanation, have become the norm, leaving hundreds of residents reliant on water tankers. Furthermore, the unchecked flow of raw sewage through the streets and into the Great Fish River is not only a public health hazard but also a blatant environmental crime that can no longer be tolerated.
I have also written to the Eastern Cape Premier, Oscar Mabuyane, to request Section 154 support for the municipality. This support requires national and provincial governments to provide assistance to municipalities in managing their affairs.
It is imperative that the mayor, speaker, and chief whip acknowledge their catastrophic failures and resign for the benefit of all residents.
The DA will continue our fight for the people of Inxuba Yethemba, ensuring that incompetence does not deny them access to basic services and the fundamental rights to which they are entitled.