Mogale City Speaker of Council has denied the Democratic Alliance, the main opposition in council, the opportunity to table a motion at the recent monthly council meeting.
The DA’s motion proposed an urgent investigation into the financial system being installed at the municipality. The Speaker’s decision in denying the motion was that the failure to commission a new financial system was not an urgent matter.
In recent weeks the current financial system has failed repeatedly and core functions could not be performed. As a result the municipality failed to collect millions of rands from its customers and for weeks rates clearance certificates for property transfers have not been issued. Residents were left in the dark as to their account balances and were forced to make payments based on their own estimates.
Behind the scenes the municipality is trying to overturn a high court ruling that it must cease to use the current financial system as it has no right to the software – if upheld, the municipality neither will be able to capture meter readings nor prepare customer statements or even pay salaries to council staff.
DA Caucus leader and Financial Spokesperson, Councillor Dennis Pretorius, requested a special meeting of councillors to be informed about the financial management system but the ANC’s MMC for Finance has not provided that opportunity. It appears that even ANC councillors have not been informed of the exact state of affairs of the pending Appeal Court matter or the status of the new financial system.
Pretorius is concerned because if the Appeal Court rules against the municipality, Mogale City will not be able to access data, capture meter readings or issue accounts to customers. The new system may be commissioned, at the earliest, only by October.
Although Mogale City is facing a financial crisis, ANC councillors remain in denial. The Speaker’s rejection of the DA’s motion is a sad manifestation of the ANC’s short-sightedness and inability to find a sustainable solution to the crisis.
