Unqualified officials under scrutiny
AfriForum demands the dismisal of incompetent municipal officials.
IT is alleged that nine officials from the Hibiscus Coast Municipality are not in possession of the municipal finance management qualification, thus not meeting the minimum competency level to handle financial affairs.
AfriForum claims that the HCM manager of legal services said last March that an application in terms of the Municipal Finance Management Act, Circular No 60 was made for an extension and that the municipality awaits response from the National Treasury.
“AfriForum requested a copy of National Treasury’s response from the municipality but hasn’t received a response.
“If the Hibiscus Coast Municipality does not respond to our request within the next seven days, we will approach National Treasury for assistance,” said Chris Fourie of AfriForum.
“It is time that we as the community demand the dismissal of incompetent and unqualified officials in our municipalities,” he added.
HCM spokesman, Simon Soboyisa, said that in terms of circular 60 of the Minimum Competency Regulations Act 2009 of the MFMA municipal senior management, the municipal manager and heads of departments need to have a university degree plus a specially designed course by National Treasury by January 2013.
He then revealed that the same circular gives mechanisms to be followed by a municipality where the National Treasury course has not been obtained, to be considered for an extension.
“The municipality followed this process and was granted the extension until June 2014. Currently the Chief Financial Officer has obtained this National Treasury course. It should be noted that the people in management then, who had enrolled for the course, have left the organisation, this is a new group of management that has recently come in,” said Mr Soboyisa.
He added that all officials who applied for an extension last year immediately enrolled for this 12 month course and are attending their last contact session in February.
“The municipality is confident of meeting the June 2014 deadline. Over the years the municipality has been receiving unqualified audit opinions from the Auditor-General and there is no better testimony than that that our management is doing well.
“This information was given to Afriforum upon their request a few months back, including the letter from National Treasury confirming the extension,” he concluded.
