JB Marks Local Municipality in Potchefstroom acknowledges underperforming as National Treasury withholds R60 million meant for infrastructure development.
Due to underperformance, some portions of the grants have been withheld, while residents are complaining about sluggish delivery of services, such as water and electricity.
The Municipal Infrastructure Grant, Water Services Infrastructure Grant and Integrated National Electrification Programme, were supposed to assist the municipality to address its infrastructure and service delivery challenges.
One resident says, “Transformers are getting damaged now and then, we do not know why. We do not get water on time hence we are not bathing.”
“If the money goes back, how long again are we gonna sit and wait for another amount of money to be funded for these extensions,” adds another resident.
Acting Municipal Manager Sandile Tyatya says, “The delay was caused by a number of factors, one of which was internal challenges in the municipality, high staff turnover, and most of the managers are on suspension. Some of them have been put out of the institution. As a result, the committees could not meet and adjudicate on the projects.”
