Freedom Dunga (Photo: @EFFSouthAfrica / X)
Nkululeko Dunga, recently appointed and controversial MEC for finance in Gauteng, says he is well aware of the seriousness of the situation in Johannesburg and his department is going to make a plan.
Dunga says he is aware of Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana’s leaked letter to Dada Morero, Mayor of Johannesburg.
Maroela Media previously reported that Godongwana points out in the letter that the City of Johannesburg currently owes its creditors R25.2 billion and that the metro currently only has R3.9 billion in cash and cash equivalents at its disposal, which means that it cannot pay outstanding creditors.
Dunga says the provincial treasury has informed him of the metro’s financial position.
His department is now apparently going to draw up plans and the plans will be prioritized as part of the provincial government’s first 100-day programme.
“Attention will be given to the metropolitan municipalities, including the City of Johannesburg, to tackle the concerns raised by the finance minister,” says Makatisha Reeva Mphulwane, Dunga’s spokesperson.
“The MEC fully realizes the seriousness of the situation and the direct impact that deteriorating municipal finances have on service delivery, maintenance of infrastructure, payment of service providers, investor confidence and the daily lives of residents right across Gauteng,” says Mphulwane.
Archive photo. (Photo: City of Johannesburg/Facebook).
The provincial government’s planned interventions will apparently focus on improving governance, strengthening revenue collection and restoring stability in municipalities.
According to Mphulwane, the MEC will soon announce a detailed program of action, once consultations with municipalities and other stakeholders have been concluded.
Dunga is a member of the EFF and was only recently appointed as Prime Minister Panyaza Lesufi’s MEC for finance – an appointment that drew widespread criticism.
Maroela Media earlier reported that the ANC had sacked Dunga as mayoral committee member for finance in the Ekurhuleni metro council in 2024 due to poor performance and possible breaches of the Municipal Financial Management Act (MFMA).
Among other things, he neglected to submit the metro’s 2023 audited annual financial statements which led to the downgrading of the metro to junk status by the credit rating agency, Moody’s. By doing so, he also broke the MFMA Act.
Some, including the FF Plus in Gauteng, believe that Dunga is in no way qualified to hold this position in the Gauteng government.