DA Ekurhuleni mayoral candidate Khathutshelo Rasilingwane has expressed concern about numerous public infrastructure projects in Ekurhuleni that remain unopened despite being completed years ago. The projects, valued at R659m, include early childhood development centres, reservoirs, and recreational centres. Rasilingwane, a member of the Gauteng provincial legislature, highlighted the issue, citing several examples of completed projects that have not been opened to the public.
Ekurhuleni, South Africa's manufacturing heartland with a population of about 4-million, continues to face challenges such as poor service delivery, vandalism, cable theft, unemployment, and corruption. The city has written off R2.4bn of its debtors' books due to households struggling to pay municipal accounts. Rasilingwane has pledged to address these issues if elected as the next city mayor during the local government elections on November 4.
Some of the unopened facilities include the R123.6m Selcourt Reservoir, R108.7m Reiger Park Enterprise Hub, and Ramaphosa Vocational Skills Centre. Rasilingwane stated that many of these facilities were completed in 2018 but remain unopened. She criticized the Ekurhuleni metro for not connecting the facilities to municipal services, rendering them unusable.
Rasilingwane expressed concern about the cost of maintaining the unopened facilities, with almost R200,000 spent monthly on guards to prevent hijacking, vandalism, and stripping of parts. This translates to over R1m per year, simply to guard empty buildings. Gauteng co-operative governance and traditional affairs MEC, Jacob Mamabolo, confirmed this information in response to Rasilingwane's question in the legislature.
Rasilingwane plans to escalate the matter to the public protector to take decisive action. She emphasized that every unopened facility represents a service that residents were promised but cannot use. The unopened projects include the Vosloorus Multipurpose Centre, ECDs, and other reservoirs and recreational centres.
Ekurhuleni mayor Nkosindiphile Xhakaza, of the ANC, had vowed to fix service delivery in the metro, deliver housing, and boost the city's coffers as the local elections loomed. However, the local government sector continues to face challenges such as fruitless, wasteful, and unauthorized expenditure, fraud, and corruption.
The National Treasury has launched a R54bn performance-based incentive to provide cash to fix water, electricity, and waste management services in the country's eight metros. Ekurhuleni has approved a total overall budget of R71bn for the 2026/27 financial year, amid a 283,000 housing backlog. Rasilingwane's concerns highlight the need for improved service delivery and infrastructure management in Ekurhuleni.
Key points
- R659m worth of public infrastructure projects in Ekurhuleni remain unopened despite being completed years ago.
- The unopened facilities include early childhood development centres, reservoirs, and recreational centres.
- Ekurhuleni faces challenges such as poor service delivery, vandalism, cable theft, unemployment, and corruption.
