The NW Provincial Legislature’s portfolio committee came out guns blazing and told council to get rid of the flaws in the municipality. She was responding to the action plan for the audit report findings of 2014/2015.

The latter document revealed that there were unauthorised expenditure, irregular expenditure and fruitless and wasteful expenditure that had still not been dealt with. Neither the R7 605 676 of the financial year in question nor the unauthorised expenditure in respect of prior years amounting to R235 248 036 had been dealt with in accordance with section 32 of the municipal finance management act.

On 6 July this year, the council certified and condoned a total of R235, 067, 005. Other notable findings were the irregular expenditure that included the Future Phambili petroleum tender of R7 265 902.67 and the R1 380 669 irregular expenditure disclosed in 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 relating to the 2010 Soccer World Cup. The SAPS is investigating these amounts.

The Engineering Council of SA is currently looking into two tenders amounting to R15 313 456.66 and the office of the municipal manager is probing the R142 735 673 disclosed in 2011/2012.

Rosho bemoaned the absence of a detailed action plan on how the municipality is dealing with the issues raised by the Auditor General. ‘There are a lot of irregularities and it is worrying that the issues under investigation do not have deadlines,’ she said. Besides the matters being investigated by the SAPS that are beyond the municipality’s control, she said there should be an action plan on how and when the municipality will deal with the issues from 2011/2012.

The AG noted that the IDP was adopted without consultation in 2014/2015. ‘You did not adhere to the constitutional requirement of public participation and the local community was not afforded a chance to provide input,’ she told the mayor. He, in turn, admitted that there was participation, but on a minimal scale.

Rosho was furious that it was already November and the municipal public accounts committee (MPAC) had not yet been established. ‘It is unacceptable…. If this is how you run governance, we should just close shop and say goodbye to one another,’ she said. The speaker, Elias Mogoeemang, explained that the delay had come from the political parties.

‘We should be seen to be doing things by the rules and book. There are lots of irregularities that were not properly accounted for. We must establish that committee so we can serve our people with honesty, diligence and love. I’m very concerned. A municipality cannot run without this committee. You have allowed yourself to be covered in flaws. Get rid of them,’ she said.

Rosho also instructed Khumalo to brief her on the issue of the suspended MM of Ventersdorp. She also ordered him to compile a report on the building in Ventersdorp that was torched last year. ‘We have been told that the building was not insured. The municipality cannot claim for the arson; you are going to incur a lot of costs. Investigate who should be held liable for that; we want a process of consequence management,’ she said.

Adopting a gentler stance, Rosho said she was being hard on the municipality because she has confidence in the mayor and the council. ‘You are called The City of Expertise. Go back to where you have come from,’ she said.

She acknowledged that Ventersdorp is a liability and that there would be challenges for the mayor. But, she advised him to work hard with his staff.

Khumalo promised the municipality would ‘pull up our socks’. ‘We are the custodians of the people’s money and we must account,’ he agreed.

Rosho has given the municipality 14 days to form the MPAC committee. The MM must develop and implement an action plan, investigate irregular expenditure and send the reports to MPAC for processing. ‘I want those reports in January,’ she said. The progress report on Ventersdorp is due on 31 March. The oversight reports are to be presented to the standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) next year.