Public Protector Advocate Thuli Madonsela is encouraged by Premier Mabuza's acceptance of the stakeholder consultative dialogue report she presented to the Mpumalanga Provincial Executive and Legislature on Thursday, 10 October 2013.
Addressing the Executive and Legislature, the Public Protector said the purpose of the meeting was to give a report back on the people's voices and views, and her own observations during her visit to the Province. In her report, the Public Protector revealed she received a litany of maladministration and service delivery complaints such as land restitution, youth unemployment, payment of service providers and functionality of municipalities.
The key concerns highlighted by the Public Protector regarding general service delivery centred around excessive water and electricity billing, sewage spillage, refuse not collected, poor state of roads, poor service by SAPS, defective RDP houses, lack of access roads. Unavailability of youth facilities, street lights not working, people with disabilities not catered for and corruption.
The key health issues the Public Protector brought to the attention of the house related issues in the Emalahleni Municipality were the following:
- Thubelihle clinic not operating 24 hours
- Thubelihle clinic needs a pharmacists
- Ambulances arrive late or are non-responsive
- Home based care givers need surgical gloves and other tools of trade
- There is a need for mobile clinics in the area
- Lack of equipment and understaffing in clinics and hospitals.
The poverty related issues raised were:
- RDP applications are not approved
- Land for agricultural, business and residential purposes is not available
- High unemployment rate
- Social grants not received
- NGO funding not approved
- Payment is not received for service rendered
- Stipends are not paid
- The municipal council does not appoint local people to fill vacancies
- The Indigent grant is not provided
Regarding service delivery issues identified were water and sanitation, damaged roads and refuse collection. Regarding RDP housing, there is no system which ensures that people who apply for RDP houses are registered and serviced in accordance to the time they applied. The Public Protector specifically pleaded with the Executive and Legislature to ensure that the issue of RDP housing is attended to and does not keep on cropping up during her interaction with the communities.
Reporting back on her meeting with the residents of Carolina in the Chief Albert Luthuli Municipality the Public Protector highlighted the plight of Mr Lukhele who travels more than 400 kilometres to give water to his relatives and other farm dwellers. She appealed to the house to do attend to the water shortage in the area and other affected communities.
The Provincial Legislature engaged the Public Protector through questions and comments on the work of her institution. Many of the comments related to appreciation of the work of the Public Protector and the constitutional significance of the office. Most of the Public Protector's observations were familiar to the Executive and members of the Legislature to which they conceded. The Premier undertook to attend to all issues raised by the Public Protector and that the leadership of the province committed itself to respond with a view to ensure non recurrence.
The Public Protector appreciated improvements made in areas such as road infrastructure in Mpumalanga. On the other hand, the Portfolio Committee on Health undertook to look at the complaints related to health and to establish if they are systemic or management issues especially the plight of Home Based Care Givers. A concern was raised that the staff high turnover at health facilities is due to the fact that the province is unable to offer health care professionals market related salaries.
Speaking at the end of the meeting, the Public Protector expressed gratitude to the Provincial Legislature for availing themselves to engage with her and for committing to address all identified service delivery problems. She said she was grateful for the spirit in which the members accepted her report in its entirety.
The Public Protector further appealed to the Legislature to extend the oversight process to other Municipalities which were not visited to ensure that relevant authorities address maladministration and service failure matters identified during the Stakeholder Consultative Dialogue and Public Hearings held in the Province.
After the Legislature meeting, the Public Protector met with the Premier and MEC Simon Skosana for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs separately to discuss the implementation of the remedial action involving the Ehlanzeni Municipality. The Premier assured the Public Protector that an action plan will be submitted by 15 November 2015 stipulating how the provincial government will ensure compliance with the remedial action.
For more information contact:
Kgalalelo Masibi
Spokesperson Public Protector South Africa
Cell: 079 509 0399
Tel: 012 366 7006
Email: kgalalelom@pprotect.org
