Second clean audit for WRDM, questions remain
While the West Rand District Municipality secures a second clean audit, opposition parties and residents question whether strong finances translate into real service delivery.
The West Rand District Municipality (WRDM) has announced its second consecutive clean audit.
The WRDM conducted its ordinary council meeting last month, during which the council reviewed key statutory and governance reports reflecting the municipality’s performance and financial management. An additional report by the Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA) confirmed that the submitted performance report was credible.
The audit primarily focused on the financial statements and the annual performance report.
Council acknowledged the reports and discussed areas needing improvement, including service delivery, police visibility, crime, and the municipality’s most pressing issue, illegal mining.
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WRDM mayor Dennis Thabe reaffirmed the council’s dedication to maintaining the district’s clean audit status while intensifying efforts to enhance service delivery and meet community needs across the West Rand District. This includes working closely with local mayors and municipal managers, both politically and administratively, to support better audit outcomes at the local level.
Opposition parties weigh in
Following the presentation of the audit outcome, Democratic Alliance (DA) councillor Tewie Botha questioned how the municipality could achieve a clean audit given longstanding service delivery challenges.
Referring to previous council meeting minutes, Botha cited issues including water infrastructure, electricity, sewerage, roads and general maintenance, asking:
“How can a municipality get a clean audit with such a ‘poor’ service delivery report in the past financial year?”
EFF spokesperson Thato Tlale said a clean audit should not overshadow serious concerns.
“A clean audit cannot conceal it,” Tlale stated.
He raised issues relating to building safety risks affecting employees and the public, unpaid salary notches and long-service benefits for staff, and alleged disparities in remuneration at the senior management level. Tlale also disputed claims of a healthy relationship between WRDM and organised labour, noting that grievances had been lodged with the South African Local Government Bargaining Council (SALGBC).
Randgate community member Ntabiseng Mothlabe said that while the municipality may have achieved a clean audit on paper, realities on the ground tell a different story.
“The municipality may have gotten a clean audit on the books, but on the actual ground, they are failing. You don’t even have to look far – the roads around Randgate are rotting, and the municipality is slow to fix them,” she said.
