eThekwini fails to spend R1.5bn meant for infrastructure repairs
eThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda has acknowledged the return of some R1.5 billion in infrastructure repair funds to the National Treasury.
He says they were unable to allocate the funds for maintenance and repairs in the city within the allotted time.
Some media reports have claimed that the money was forfeited to Treasury.
But Kaunda says the money was returned because it wouldn't have been possible to use the funds before the end of the financial year.
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He told an eThekwini council meeting on Tuesday that they have applied for a rollover of the grant.
"However, in August, the National Treasury indicated that a rollover application was required and Treasury advised us that it wanted this application in a prescribed format and that information has now been appropriately packaged and submitted.
"The main reasons for the rollover for the grants have been out of the control of the municipality."
He says they have had to pause work on some 700 projects, particularly those handled by the engineering department.
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"This process includes doing design before the specifications can be developed. Even once this is done, service providers still need time to start the project.
"It was not the case of poor planning; it was simply impractical and unreasonable to expect these projects to be completed in the 2022/2023 financial year."
