Riaan 
Ekupheleni kukaZibandlela wezi-2022, isikweletu sisonke esikweletwa omasipala ababalelwa ku-100 ku-Eskom safinyelela ku-R56.3 billion. Ezinyangeni eziyi-15 ngaphambili, ekupheleni kukaSepthemba 2021, isikweletu sikamasipala sisonke U-Eskom ibingu-R40.9 billion.
Lokho kuwukwenyuka okucishe kube ngama-40% esikhathini esingaphansi konyaka. Isimo sesizophuka.
Izinkinga zoxhaso luka-Eskom zaziwa kakhulu futhi ukunakekelwa kwesikhungo sakhe esiphehlayo akunamali ngenxa yalokhu kukhula kwenqwaba yezikweletu.
Nokho, lena akuyona nje inkinga yakwa-Eskom. News24 kuleli sonto kubika ukuthi kunzima omasipala ukweleta amabhodi amanzi ezweni lonke isamba sezigidigidi ezili-R14 – cishe u-R10 wezigidigidi wawo osekudlulelwe yisikhathi.
U-R8.4 wezigidigidi owengeziwe ukweleta Inhlangano Yokuhweba Ngamanzi kahulumeni esikweletini sesisonke samabhiliyoni angama-R23, okuhlanganisa nemali ekweletwa amabhodi amanzi kule nhlangano. Lokhu kuvele esithangamini nabezindaba ekomitini lePhalamende elibhekele ezaManzi nokuThuthwa kweNdle ngoLwesibili.
Ngakho-ke leso yisikweletu sika-R78.7 billion esikweletwa omasipala ngokuthengwa kwenqwaba kagesi namanzi. Kuyamangaza ukuthi lesi sibalo sesingaphezu kuka-R80 billion njengamanje.
Lokhu akwenzeki ngokusobala.
Ngokwenyanga edlule isabelomaliuhulumeni uzoxhasa lezi zinsiza ngo-2023/24 ezindlini eziyizigidi eziyi-11.2 ngemali eyizigidigidi ezingama-R70.9.
Ukusika uphaya
Kodwa le mali iphuma ku-R96.5 billion woxhaso lwezabelo ezilinganayo oludluliselwa kohulumeni basekhaya.
Umasipala ngamunye uthola ingxenye yalokhu ngokusekelwe kufomula eyinkimbinkimbi, enezingxenye ezinhlanu esebenzisa ulwazi lwabantu kanye nolunye ulwazi ukuze ubale ingxenye yawo yoxhaso olusuka ku-fiscus.
UMnyango Wezezimali uchaza lesi sabelo esilinganayo ngokuthi “ukudlulisa okungenamibandela”. Ngokombono, kusho uMgcinimafa, “isabelo esilinganayo sihlinzeka ngezimali komasipala ukuthi balethe izinsiza eziyisisekelo zamahhala emakhaya ampofu futhi ixhase izindleko zokuphatha kanye nezinye izinsiza ezibalulekile kulabo masipala abangenamandla amancane okukhokhela lezi zindleko ngemali yabo engenayo”.
Kodwa lolu xhaso luyisinqumo. Omasipala bangasebenzisa lolu xhaso kunoma yini abayithandayo.
Nokho basenesibopho sokuletha izidingongqangi zamahhala emakhaya ampofu.
Ukusebenzisa lolu xhaso kwezinye izinhloso kunomthelela omkhulu ezikweletini zokuthengwa kwenqwaba kagesi namanzi ezicishe zibe ngamabhiliyoni angama-R80.
Iqiniso elisobala ukuthi omasipala abaningi (iningi?) basebenzisa lolu xhaso ukukhokhela amaholo.
Komasipala abangama-257 eNingizimu Afrika, abangu-66 abagcwele bamenyezelwe njengokungasebenzi kahle wuMnyango wezokuBusa ngokuBambisana neziNdaba zoMdabu (Cogta).
Onqenqemeni
NgoSepthemba, uMgcinimafa waxwayisa ngokuthi omasipala abangu-151 abasonqenqemeni lokuwa. Emjikelezweni wesabelomali sika-2020/21, omasipala abangu-106 abagcwele – ama-40% – basebenzise isabelomali esingaxhaswanga (okuphulwa uMthetho Wokuphathwa Kwezimali Zomasipala).
Umnyombo wenkinga ukungakhokhi kwabahlali (ukwebiwa kwezinsiza eziningi ngokuxhuma okungekho emthethweni kungenye into enomthelela kulesi simo). Phambilini uMnyango wezeziMali uveze ukuthi ohulumeni basekhaya bakweleta imali engaphezu kuka-R140 billion yezinsiza.
Omasipala ababaphathi abakweletayo.
Sonke lesi sikweletu asibandakanyi imali ewu-R5 billion ekweletwa u-Eskom ngamakhasimende aseSoweto, elokhu isulwa, kanye nenzalo, njengoba isho ngokushesha – ngo-2019, ibingu-R18 billion! Ikhasimende elilodwa kuphela kwamane laseSoweto elikhokhela ugesi, okuphinde kuveze iphuzu lokungakhokhi.
Kuze kube manje, omasipala abaphukile nabaphukile bebelokhu beyinkinga yendawo.
Ukungakhokhi kusho ukuthi ukulethwa kwezidingo kuyaphazamiseka. Ingqalasizinda iyaqhubeka nokuwohloka, futhi ukutholakala kwangempela kwamanzi, ugesi kanye nokuthuthwa kukadoti kuyashintshashintsha.
U-Eskom usebenzise ukuncishiswa kukagesi ukucisha ugesi ezindaweni ezingakhokhi noma komasipala. Isaqhubeka nokubhekana nezinselele zenkantolo mayelana nalo mgomo (ngoZibandlela, iNkantolo YoMthethosisekelo yacheme nabakhokhi bentela komasipala ababili iphikisana no-Eskom).
Izakhamuzi zithwele kanzima ngokuwa
Nokho, ngokuvamile, amaholo kamasipala ngandlela thize ayakhokhwa.
Isibonelo sikaMasipala Wendawo yaseMafube, lapho sekuphele iminyaka eyishumi ugesi uthengiswa ngokuyimfihlo, isilinganiso sawo sokuqoqwa kwawo ngenyanga besingu-20% (R2.1 million) ngo-2020/21. Imali yomholo ibingu-R9.1 million.
Ngalowo nyaka, u-43% wemali engenile ebekelwe isabelomali, noma u-R111 million, uzophuma “emalini edluliselwe emsebenzini”, ngamanye amazwi, uxhaso lwezabelo ezilinganayo. Lokhu kulingana nezigidi eziyisi-R9.25 ngenyanga – isikweletu sayo samaholo.
Inkinga manje sekunenqwaba yoMasipala Bendawo yaseMafube kanjalo nomasipala abambalwa abangaqinile ngokwezimali.
Izibalo zikhula ngokushesha futhi kungazelelwe umuntu ufinyelela lapho u-Eskom ekweletwa khona u-R56 billion (impela lokho kuzoba u-R60 billion ekupheleni kwale nyanga? .
Kuleli qophelo, izigidigidi ziba yingozi enkulu ekusimameni kwalezi zinhlangano.
U-Eskom mkhulu kakhulu ukuthi angahluleka (isikhashana okwamanje, okungenani), kodwa kwenzekani lapho amabhodi amanzi eqala ukuwa?
Wonke umuntu (okuhlanganisa noNdunankulu waseGauteng uPanyaza Lesufi) ubheke kuNgqongqoshe wezeziMali u-Enoch Godongwana kanye noMnyango Wezezimali Kuzwelonke ukuthi baxazulule lezi zinxushunxushu.
I-Cogta
I-Cogta ihlale iqwasha ngakho konke lokhu, njengoba omunye umasipala ongaphumeleli ngemuva komunye uthathwa nguMgcinimafa.
Ngokufanelekile, u-technocrat onolwazi uParks Tau ufakwe njengesekela likangqongqoshe kwa-Cogta, okusho ukuthi lo mnyango ungase usebenze kakhulu esikhathini esiseduze.
Ngemuva kweminyaka yokusebenza, uMnyango wezeziMali uthi sekuseduze ukuthi ubhekane nentaba yezikweletu zikamasipala.
Njengoba ingcwatshwe ekupheleni kwesithasiselo sesabelomali sangoFebhuwari esibhekene nokukhululwa kwezikweletu zakwa-Eskom, ithi “isikweletu sikamasipala esisasele, esikhule safinyelela ku-R56.3 billion … siyinselelo ehlelekile embonini kagesi yonkana”.
Ithi iphothula isiphakamiso sokubhekana nalokhu, okubalulekile okudingidwayo “ukusulwa kwesikweletu okunemibandela, izinguquko zomthetho nezokulawula ukusiza u-Eskom ekuxazululeni ukungakhokheli kwezinsiza, ukuqhubeka kwezinyathelo zokuvimbela ukwanda kwezikweletu. (njengokufakwa kwamamitha akhokhelwa kuqala), kanye nezinhlelo zikahulumeni kazwelonke zokuthuthukisa ukuphathwa kwezimali zikamasipala”.
Komasipala lapho i-Cogta ingenelele khona (ngaphansi kweSigaba 139 somthethosisekelo), kakade uMgcinimafa usezibekile izinyathelo zokuqinisekisa ukuthi ohulumeni basekhaya bafakazela ukuthi babakhokhile abakweletwayo ngaphambi kokukhishwa kwesabelomali sabo esilinganayo.
Mhlawumbe sekuyisikhathi sokuthi uhulumeni abheke indaba yokungabibikho ngokuphelele kwemibandela yezibonelelo zezabelo ezilinganayo?
Umbandela muhle. Ukuqiniswa kwalokhu nguMgcinimafa yikhona kuphela okuzokhipha izinhlaka zikahulumeni eziphukile kanye nomasipala kulolu bishi. Ingabe ufuna ukudluliswa kwezimali zakho? Khokha obakweletayo.
Kungani kuthathe isikhathi eside kangaka?
Lesi sihloko savela okokuqala ku-Moneyweb futhi saphinde sashicilelwa ngemvume.
Funda isihloko sokuqala lapha.
