Ramaphosa to visit crisis-hit Emfuleni on Friday
President Cyril Ramaphosa will lead an oversight visit by the government to Emfuleni on Friday, the Presidency has confirmed.
Ramaphosa and various ministers will assess the state of service delivery in the municipality, which has been plagued by corruption and mismanagement for years.
In July, the High Court in Pretoria ordered that consumers in Emfuleni could pay Eskom directly for power after it was found that the municipality had collected 90% of electricity bills but had not paid Eskom.
The court also gave the municipality six months to draw up a new settlement to pay off its R3.5 billion debt.
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya says Friday’s event is part of Ramaphosa's commitment to visit all nine provinces.
"The president will visit a wastewater treatment plant before meeting with stakeholders in the area. The Emfuleni municipality has faced difficulties in the provision of water services, which resulted in the Department of Water and Sanitation intervening to upgrade critical bulk pipelines and pump station infrastructure.”
Ramaphosa will then fly out to Paris to support the Springboks in the Rugby World Cup final. The Springboks will take on the All Blacks in Paris on Saturday.
"The President is really looking forward to being invited onto the pitch for the second time by captain Siya Kolisi to help lift the cup for the world champions. This will be the first time any country will hold four Rugby World Cup titles," said Magwenya.
A majority of South Africans requested Ramaphosa to declare Monday a public holiday should the Springboks win the World Cup.
Magwenya confirmed that the president is considering the request.
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