Nigel Stormwater Canal Continues to Deteriorate while Officials Milk City Dry
by Ald. Wollaston Labuschagne — DA Ward 88 Councillor in Ekurhuleni
Date: 29 January 2024
Release: Immediate
Type: Media Statement
The Nigel Stormwater Canal has become an issue of much controversy over the recent years. Residents have been raising concerns about the state of the canal following the February 2022 floods.
The Department has since claimed that cleaning was done by the Nigel Depot to clear flood debris, however, upon inspection, it is evident that little to no work was done to restore and rehabilitate the severely aged canal.
It has come to my attention that the Nigel depot staff have been abusing overtime, by claiming for work done mainly over the weekends.
Residents allege that workers arrive on site on a Saturday and sit around aimlessly. These staff members then claim 8 hours of overtime each without completing any work.
In the 25 January 2024, Extraordinary Council Meeting, the responses to the questions posed by the DA to the ANC Member of Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Roads and Stormwater, Cllr Andile Mngwevu, revealed that an amount of R413,865 was paid in overtime to Nigel depot staff from January 2023 to September 2023 and a total of 2,592 overtime hours worked between June 2023 and October 2023. These overtime hours are paid over and above the normal working hours that workers are required to work at the Nigel Canal.
The work done at the Canal does not justify the amount paid in overtime as the canal is still filled with rubbish and overgrown by vegetation including small trees, shrubs, and weeds. One can only imagine the extent of the overtime fraud that has been taking place in the department over the past years, where depot staff, foreman and managers have been claiming hundreds of thousands of rands in overtime without the required supervision and accountability.
As the Ward Councilor for the area, I have for the past consecutive years added the reconstruction of the entire Nigel stormwater Canal to my top five ward IDP priorities to ensure that the rehabilitation of the Canal receives an adequate budget in the future financial years. At the rate Ekurhuleni municipal funds are being plundered by the current EFF / ANC government it is unlikely Nigel residents will observe any construction taking place at the Canal.
Only after a DA-led government has taken over the reins of the City can we expect increased accountability among officials.
I will continue to drive this issue at the Council level and will do everything possible to hold the responsible municipal officials accountable for work not completed.
Cllr. Wollaston Labuschagne
DA Ward 88 Councillor in Ekurhuleni
073 910 7272
