NELSPRUIT – This week the premier’s office announced that Mr David Mabuza would meet with the leaders of poor-performing municipalities before deciding what sanctions should be put in place due to unsatisfactory audit results.
Earlier this month, a report released by the Auditor General (AG), Mr Terence Nombembe, about the municipalities’ audits for the 2011/12 financial year stated the province fared worse than the previous year. Only Steve Tshwete Local Municipality and Ehlanzeni District achieved clean audit results.
“The leadership of Mpumalanga is committed to achieving clean audits by 2014. However, the year that should have marked a considerable advancement towards achieving the goal was characterised by a nett regression,” read the report. “The outcomes show a year-on-year regression with five improvements in the audit outcomes being overshadowed by seven regressions.”
The premier, Mr David Mabuza, said during a two-day provincial coordinating-forum lekgotla on Tuesday that he was unhappy with the overall performance of the municipalities and their lack of improvement over several years.
He said there were huge shortcomings within them and that there was a lack of leadership. “There are areas where we are trying our best, but our overall performance shows that we are just not doing well,” he said.
On Wednesday, Mabuza called for intervention in Msukaligwa and Govan Mbeki local municipalities. According to Mr Zibonele Mncwango, spokesman for the premier, the intervention by the provincial government will have both of them placed under administration.
“The formal announcement for the intervention will be made once the Provincial Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) has followed all the necessary processes,” he said. Lekwa, Thaba Chweu and Mkhondo local municipalities are to hold another special session with the director general, Cogta and the provincial treasury to work out plans to improve their standing.
According to the premier’s office, the one-on-one meetings between the premier and the mayors and municipal managers of municipalities were to begin on Thursday. They are to explain how they are planning to get out of the disclaimers they received on their audit reports.
