The announcement by finance minister Enoch Godongwana in November that the National Treasury will cut grant allocations due to failure by the government to meet its tax collection targets has ruffled the feathers of Eastern Cape political leaders.
It has become commonplace for an organ of state to owe municipalities for rates and services. It has been that way for the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality for far too long, with countless meetings between officials of the metro with representatives of various departments barely yielding results over the years.