MBOMBELA – Ehlanzeni District Municipality (EDM) last week again celebrated a clean audit opinion from the Auditor General (AG).
Members of the office of the AG visited the municipality last Monday. This was the fifth successive clean audit for EDM.
This year Steve Tshwete Local Municipality also received a clean audit from the AG. Last year EDM executive mayor, Cllr Letta Shongwe, deployed managers to aid Mbombela, Nkomazi, Thaba Chweu, Umjindi and Bushbuckridge, the municipalities under its jurisdiction, to obtain clean audit reports.
This year Mbombela, Nkangala, Govan Mbeki, Dipaliseng and Lekwa received unqualified reports. Chief Albert Luthuli, Gert Sibande District, Dr Pixley KaIsaka, Victor Khanye, Thembisile Hani, Dr J S Moroka, Umjindi, Bushbuckridge and Nkomazi all received qualified opinions.
Thaba Chweu, eMalahleni, eMakhazeni and Mkhondo received disclaimers, while an audit report was not performed on Msukaligwa as the municipality did not submit financial statements.
Speaking about the service delivery in these municipalities, MEC for cooperative governance Ms Refilwe Mtsweni, this week pleaded with the public to stay within the law when embarking on protests.
“Communities have a right to protest. Let us do so in a dignified manner. If you burn down your school today, where will you send your children tomorrow?”
She urged the people to use protest action as a last resort and first follow other avenues such as approaching ward councillors or mayors with their grievances.
“When there is then a failure to attend to those matters, people can apply to have a march. It is our intention to build relationships that are normal between municipal council and communities. We want to avoid problems where we are at loggerheads with the community.”
EDM noted that in terms of the Regulations of Gatherings Act, the convener of a march was responsible for informing the municipality thereof seven days prior to the planned gathering, which should only be prohibited in the most exceptional circumstances.
The premier Mr David Mabuza nevertheless took time to commend Lekwa Municipality for its improved audit outcomes as it moved from the disclaimer in 2011/12 to a qualified report in 2012/13 and received an unqualified report for 2013/14.
- The most recent protest action on the R538 between Hazyview and White River occurred on February 23. See it here.
- Read more on the AG’s findings here.
