 said on Wednesday it was impossible to determine how R59 million allocated for electrifying the Jumpers informal settlement in Cleveland, east of Johannesburg, had been spent.){kind=link}
By Johnathan Paoli
The Democratic Alliance (DA) said on Wednesday it was impossible to determine how R59 million allocated for electrifying the Jumpers informal settlement in Cleveland, east of Johannesburg, had been spent.
An oversight visit this week by DA Gauteng Shadow MEC for Human Settlements Mervyn Cirota, Johannesburg East Constituency Head Jack Bloom, and Ward Councillor Neuren Petersen, revealed raw sewage, uncollected waste, and barely any visible signs of development, despite millions reportedly being spent.
“The only visible evidence of activity in the area is the installation of several poles. Currently, the site is unsuitable for formal development or the construction of housing units, as it lacks the necessary services to support such development,” said Cirota.
The trio accused the City of Johannesburg and the provincial Department of Human Settlements of failing to account for the alleged expenditure and neglecting residents’ basic living needs.
“We are standing in what used to be a park, a place where children played and churches held gatherings. Now it’s a barren wasteland. What was supposed to be a project to formalise and uplift the community has instead degraded it. We’re going backwards,” Petersen said in a video, gesturing towards the uneven ground where pools of stagnant water and refuse had accumulated.
According to Cirota, the site visit found no new infrastructure, no electrification, and no sanitation upgrades, despite reports that R50 million to R59 million had been allocated for the project.
Bloom said that this was a clear case of misappropriation of funds.
“We smell corruption, this money was meant to uplift people, not buy Ferraris and Lamborghinis. The DA will be demanding full transparency: who received these funds, how they were used, and why there’s nothing to show for them,” he said.
Bloom said the DA would file formal questions in both the Gauteng Provincial Legislature and the City of Johannesburg Council, demanding that Premier Panyaza Lesufi, the Human Settlements MEC, and municipal officials provide evidence of how national housing grants were spent.
Cirota said that additional anxiety had been placed on the community due to the unresolved murders of three activists, allegedly linked to the development funds.
He said the DA would push for a comprehensive investigation into the killings and their possible link to the project’s finances.
The party called for a forensic audit of all grants related to Jumpers.
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