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The inability of the NeIson Mandela Bay Municipality to spend grant funding meant to alleviate unemployment in a Metro that is beset by poverty, is a clear indication that the current ANC-led coalition of corruption does not have the interests of the people at heart.

At a time when people are desperate for work and unemployment is skyrocketing, the municipality has failed to spend money given to them by national government, for the sole purpose of creating jobs.

This came to light when the Eastern Cape MEC of Finance, Mlungisi Mvoko, responded to a question asked by DA Eastern Cape Shadow MEC for Finance, Retief Odendaal, MPL.

Mvoko said that, of the R8,95 million given to the municipality by national government in the form of an Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) grant for the 2019/2020 financial year, by the end of April, with just two months remaining, the municipality had only spent 31% of the funds.

According to Mvoko the R2 777 368 that Nelson Mandela Bay spent, had only created 203 jobs, which accounted for just 3% of the jobs created through the EPWP across the entire province.

This is just another clear example of the financial mismanagement and misuse of funds that is rife within the municipality, which stems from the complete lack of oversight and leadership from the current executive.

During the two years that the DA and its coalition partners were in Government, we managed to triple the number of annual EPWP jobs created, with almost 5 500 people gaining employment.

All of this hard work was undone when the ANC-led coalition of corruption took over government in August 2018.

I have written to the Executive Director of Economic Development, Tourism and Agriculture, Anele Qaba, to request that the spending of EPWP grant funding becomes a stand-alone item on the agenda of the municipal standing committee on Economic Development, Tourism and Agriculture (EDTA).

It is clear that the management of the EDTA directorate under the political leadership of MMC Marlon Daniels does not have any control over EPWP spending.  We will also, therefore, request an audit to ensure that EPWP funding is not misused for anything but its intended purpose.

Issued by The DA