The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Greater Tzaneen Municipality (GTM) has written to the Municipal Manager, demanding answers regarding the deteriorating state of municipal security, despite the ANC-led municipality spending over R30 million per year on outsourced security services.
We are calling for full disclosure of the needs analysis, service level agreements (SLAs), and contract implementation details to determine who should be held accountable for the municipality’s failure to secure its buildings, equipment, and staff.
As the DA, we seek answers on whether R30 million is truly required to secure the municipality’s assets; if the SLAs entered into with the two security companies align with the municipality’s actual security needs; and how the contractors’ performance is monitored and controlled to ensure an effective and efficient spend.
An Electrical Department employee was recently held hostage in her office while security guards looked on—despite the building being secured by approximately 17 security guards daily. At the Letsitele water plant, the gate remains unsecured, and only one guard is on duty. At the Letsitele dump yard, no security guards are deployed, even though water theft is rampant. A security guard is supposed to be stationed at the Rietbok Street sewage pump station but is hardly ever present. And at the new sewage pump station behind Best Drive, two guards are stationed without proper protection—armed only with a cell phone.
The municipality must account for how R30 million in taxpayer money is being spent on security services that fail to protect municipal infrastructure and employees. The DA will continue to pursue full transparency and accountability to ensure that public funds are not wasted on ineffective security contracts.