The Democratic Alliance (DA) in uMsunduzi Municipality calls on the Municipal Manager, Madoda Khathide, to launch an urgent independent probe into the Human Resources processes in the Municipality’s Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP)
This after the municipality allegedly appointed the latest group of 401 EPWP workers irregularly. DA Councillors have been receiving complaints from residents about ANC members who have been allegedly gathering lists of names of only ANC members in the respective DA Wards, bypassing all the relevant legislated processes in which Senior Politicians and Management have been included in the entire process.
Every year the corruption surrounding the recruitment of EPWP staff is never dealt with by the leadership and senior management of this Municipality.
It is abundantly clear that there is no political will to deal with the corruption, as it is politically motivated as a campaigning tool for the governing party.
The process of recruitment of EPWP is very clearly guided in the policy. The Ward Structures and Ward Councillor are the direct point of call in terms of the involvement in the process, this however is always bypassed in the opposition Wards.
The lack of political will, the lack of accountability, and the lack of response to many of our challenges have all gone unanswered, this is all due to the political motivation behind the programme to garner votes.
As long as the ANC and their political deployments are involved the corruption will continue.
Late last year the Auditor-General, in a report, revealed that not only is the programme fraught with irregularities but the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Public Works has completely lost control. Following that, the DA in the province called on MEC Peggy Nkonyeni to launch an independent audit into the programme, sadly until this day this has not happened.
As a result municipalities across the country and those that are not politically affiliated with the ANC are paying the price.
It is in this regard that the DA has called for an urgent investigation into this corruption, we will escalate through all spheres of government, challenge the entire process and request that those responsible for the corruption to be held accountable. The ANC must practice what they preach, investigate, fight and eliminate corruption which has cost so many unemployed South Africans who are not politically connected.