Business folk bewail EM’s disastrous loss of assets

THE DA and the Border-Kei Chamber of Business Komani named the Enoch Mgijima municipality’s failure to pay as the cause of the seizure of a serious chunk of the municipality’s assets by the sheriff of the court last Thursday.

The sheriff took the keys of 18 trucks, 14 bakkies, two TLBs (tractor, loader, backhoe), a roller, a grader and 10 cars.

The assets will be auctioned tomorrow to pay off the R58-million debt owed to contractor Milowo Trading Enterprise.

Border-Kei Chamber of Business Komani chairman Adre Bartis said: “It is indeed a dark day when service providers have to go the route of attaching assets belonging to the municipality, which in turn immobilises the municipality.

“One cannot blame the service provider – when you deliver a service you expect to get paid for the service.

“But service delivery is already not where it should be and having the tools taken away that should assist in delivering services will contribute dire situation,” Bartis said.

The municipality was also undermining its relationships with service providers, she said.

The community was also starting to ask just how big the municipal debt was.

“The current situation is daunting and we hope we can see the leadership of the municipality rise to the occasion and renew confidence in the community of Enoch Mgijima,” she said.

DA MP and Enoch Mgijima constituency leader Terri Stander said: “These assets belong to the people. Service delivery, like the supply of drinking water to rural communities, will be impossible. People die without water to drink.

“[Water and Sanitation] Minister Gugile Nkwinti had the audacity to say that all is under control.”

Stander accused the ANC of refusing to take disciplinary action against the council for fear of hurting the party’s election campaign in the run-up to next year’s election. — to a