Cape Town – Much has been made of the loan taken out by the City of Cape Town to finance wastewater treatments.
Little does the DA-run City make mention of the fact that the City's department of water and sanitation is due to write off R1.1 billion of its own revenue in the year ending June 2019.
Last year, it wrote off just over R1bn, and the previous year the amount was R894 million.
Huge amounts were also written off in prior years.
See extracts from the City's own budget:
Little mention, of course, by our politicking friends of who pays the interest on this loan and for the huge write-offs - obviously, the long-suffering ratepayer.
Staggering amounts, and despite numerous requests to clarify why the amounts are written off and who owes them, no one from the City seems to be able/willing to provide an answer.
At a recent meeting at Alphen Hall, councillor Xanthea Limberg, mayoral committee member for informal settlements, water and waste services, and energy, advised that she did not even know of the problem.
While the City of Cape Town is better run than 99% of the other municipalities in the country, let's not forget/ignore that they have many gremlins in their own backyard, which need urgent attention.
Besides, benchmarking oneself against other municipalities known for their peculation is hardly flattering.