Despite this, some of Limpopo's municipalities are still without municipal managers and chief financial officers.
The Limpopo provincial government has completed the appointment of heads of departments (HODs) in all its departments in an effort to improve service delivery and the province’s annual audit outcomes.
However, the province’s municipalities are still lagging behind.
Municipalities still without municipal managers and CFOs
The province has 27 local and district municipalities, many of which do not have contracted municipal managers and chief financial officers (CFOs). Most of them are currently on suspension, while others have left for greener pastures.
This negatively impacts the province’s annual municipal audit outcomes.
Cooperative Governance, Human Settlement and Traditional Affairs (Coghsta) MEC Basikopo Makamu told The Citizen that several municipalities in Limpopo have acting municipal managers and CFOs. Most have been suspended for various reasons related to governance, political interference and financial mismanagement.
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Heads of departments appointed in Limpopo
Meanwhile, last week, Limpopo Premier Phophi Ramathuba announced that her Cabinet had completed the appointment of heads of departments [HOD]. She said the new recruits would help the province improve its financial reporting. Five of the province’s 10 departments received clean audits in the last financial year.
“One of the things we had set to do in this 7th administration is to stabilise the administration by filling vacancies of heads of departments that had experienced a high turnover for years. Today we are pleased to announce the conclusion of the rigorous recruitment process that has seen us fill the head of department of health by appointing Dr Ntodeni Nancy Ndwamato, as well as the head of department of sport, arts and culture, Ms Kgathane Veronica Mokgonyana,” said Ramathuba in a statement.
This, she said, follows earlier appointments of the heads of the departments of social development, agriculture and rural development.
“All of them have been given five-year contracts that the MECs will be required to monitor on a quarterly basis through established performance review mechanisms, while the premier will make the annual assessment together with the MECs. We are now a complete team with no HOD vacancy,” said Ramathuba.
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