Advocate Lepheane
Response to your newspaper interview so published this morning in the Volksblad:
Why Advocate is it so hard for some people to realize the truth? One can either show character and become part of the solution to the benefit of the community that is to be served OR one can peddle lies, point fingers and deceive in the misbelief that questionable behaviour can somehow lead to sustainable success.
Let me perhaps yet again (as with the previous interviews), share with you the following facts:
Non-payment of salaries? The only reason why municipal salaries cannot be paid is because of you, Advocate. You, yourself rejected the administrative help that we offered, free of charge, for one year so that the Municipality can become self-sustaining again and pay salaries. If you really wanted to serve the community and pay the municipal staff as you profess, then you would have been transparent and accepted help from capable sources who offered such without any cost to the municipality.
Municipality not receiving payments for services? The reason, Advocate, why the community is not regularly paying the municipality for services, is because they are not receiving regular and quality services from the municipality and you are to be blamed for that. The vast majority of South Africans are great and honourable people. They pay when they receive services. Why don’t you simply take a drive through the four towns of Mafube and you will see what I am referring to?
The business forum is the reason the community is not paying? Dear Advocate, are you seriously trying to tell the public that a business forum with perhaps between 50 to 100 members, can successfully influence a diverse community represented by multiple political parties of around 20,000 households and businesses to withhold payment of their municipal accounts if they are in fact receiving services? They would then have achieved what no political party could, over the last couple of years.
If Rural was not appointed, Mafube would have been like every other normal Municipality? Well, Advocate, you have spoken the truth here. If Rural was not around, Mafube would probably have been in the same situation as Ngwathe, Nketoana, Maluti-A-Phofung and many other Free State municipalities. All of the above Municipalities along with many others in the Free State have poorly functioning electricity services and poorly maintained infrastructure resulting in basic services not being provided.
Rural’s contract is illegal and no feasibility study was done? Again, another lie peddled when you know full well that the feasibility study and Rural’s contracts have been published on its website for all to see, for about a decade. Notwithstanding, we have provided Provincial and National Treasury and you with the details ourselves, yet you continue with your false narrative instead of working to have your staff paid and services actually delivered. You see Advocate, playing the “blame - game” will not resolve the real issues faced by the Municipality. Focus on the real issues rather than using Rural as a scapegoat for your self-inflicted dilemma.
No royalties are paid to the municipality by Rural? By merely repeating a lie in public does not make that lie the truth. Rural has paid Mafube Municipality as contracted since 2011.
You can’t say who is paying for services and who not? Really Advocate. The fact that you publicly state that you have no idea what is going on in your municipality is further confirmation that you are perhaps the problem and not the ANC, the Provincial Government or the councillors.
All in all, Advocate, you have put your own self-interest before the interest of the community and the municipal workers you profess to lead and represent.
South Africans have reached a new era. An era where at grassroots, we have all been cooperating for some time already to help each other, our communities and create jobs. After the recent elections, politicians are also now aware of the fact that the electorate wishes for the politicians to set their differences aside and work in the interests of all communities. You need to perhaps take note of this instead of trying to break the only remaining quality service that has been ensuring that the Mafube community can sustain themselves and others.
What exactly have you done, since your appointment, for your community Advocate?
Regards
Chris Bosch
Group CEO
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