A library project in Birch Acres that was meant to be completed by 2016 has instead become a symbol of systemic corruption in Ekurhuleni, according to local councillor Hector Bogopane.
Speaking during a walkabout in the area, Bogopane alleged that despite millions of rand having been spent, the city’s books record a brick-and-mortar library building — but the reality on the ground is a precast zozo hut.
“Millions of rand have been spent. In the books of the city, it is a big brick-and-mortar structure. Believe me or not, you will find a precast zozo hut with security guarding it, without being maintained,” Bogopane said.
He described Ekurhuleni as “the hub where corruption is,” pointing to a litany of failures including a multi-million rand power station that is incomplete, debilitating road infrastructure, potholes, electricity problems, sewage flows, and a growing crisis of sinkholes.
Bogopane, who sits on the city’s water and sewer portfolio, said there is no official policy or art in the city to ensure hardworking residents receive the services they deserve. He added that the metro is failing to invest in infrastructure, noting that the Auditor-General’s guidelines require at least 8% of the budget to be spent on infrastructure — a target the city is “not any near there.”
When asked why answers from city officials often do not match ground realities, Bogopane alleged collusion between the governing ANC and EFF politicians and municipal officials. He also pointed to the qualified audit outcomes as proof that the Auditor-General’s office finds exactly what opposition councillors have been complaining about.
Pressed on the fact that Ekurhuleni was previously governed by the Democratic Alliance, Bogopane acknowledged his party held the metro for only two years and had to deal with a backlog of aging infrastructure. He argued that given a chance with 50% plus one of the vote — not under a coalition — the DA would bring a “Cape Town experience” to Ekurhuleni.
“We will surely surprise you. Give us a chance,” he said.
On the corruption revelations emerging from the Madlanga Commission, Bogopane said the findings were shocking even to those sitting on opposition benches.
“We did not know that when we employed them, when the city employed them, these people have so much hate towards the city and are really having their own hidden agendas,” he said. “You can only build policy and systems. Only human beings and the human element can destroy all these policies.”
Bogopane called for the employment of people who are “truly fit for purpose” and who love their city and their country.