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Northern Cape Co-operative Governance MEC, Bentley Vass
Northern Cape Co-operative Governance MEC Bentley Vass has expressed concern on the poor state of municipalities in the province.
Only two municipalities in the province received clean audits.
The Auditor-General’s 2023-2024 report showed a deteriorating financial state of municipalities. Most of them are struggling to collect revenue as well as pay suppliers and have continued to use third parties as consultants.
Irregular expenditure stands at R3.67 billion. Vass says serious action is urgently needed.
“As the government we are committed in terms of transparency and making sure that all processes are followed to the letter, making sure that there are no issues in terms of irregular expenditure. In terms of how we appoint service providers in our institutions, it should be a transparent process so that at least people can own up and take responsibility as a collective from our side as a provincial government,” says Vass.
She says they are going to monitor their municipalities closely.
“On the issue of municipal management, we are going to take serious actions. Where our administrators and officials are not performing, we are going to act because it’s unacceptable,” she adds.
The AG’s report also showed that poor performance was most prevalent in Free State, Northern Cape and North West municipalities.
One of the challenges municipalities are facing is the high vacancy rate of critical positions.
Opposition parties say local government lacks the political will to address the challenges.
“There is regression in terms of what is happening in all of the Northern Cape because there is no adequate staff appointment that are let into that different field, especially finance,” says the Economic Freedom Fighters’ Shadrack Tlhaole.
Tlhaole adds, “We have municipalities with no municipal managers. Everyone is just acting and that is the problem we are facing; it needs serious attention from the provincial government.”
“It is absolutely indignant that the Northern Cape provincial government cannot get their act together. This is a regression that has been coming year-on-year. There is no political will for consequence management,” says the Northern Cape’s Democratic Alliance’s, Fawzia Rhoda.
