DA Delivers: DA-run Municipalities lead in clean, efficient & effective financial management
15 April 2016
The latest Ratings Afrika report on the Municipal Financial Stability Index (MFSI) has shown that DA-governed municipalities lead the way in clean, efficient and effective governance.
For 2015, the agency analysed the 2014/15 annual financial statements of the 100 biggest municipalities. Each municipal’s operating performance, liabilities management, budget practices and liquidity positions was analysed and compiled in the Municipal Financial Stability Index (MFSI), and given a score out of 100.
The Western Cape was reported to have an average score of 60 and is the highest scoring province, as well as the province that has improved the most over the last five years. It is the only province whose governance practices are effective in cutting corruption. Added to this, the highest ranked metro is the City of Cape Town, which has displayed a sound improvement over the last five years from 64 in 2011 to 75 in 2015. Other ANC–led metros and provinces paled in comparison.
It is ironic that of the metros with some of the lowest scores, led by the ANC, are Johannesburg and Tshwane, scoring 37 and 24 respectively despite being the wealthiest municipalities in the country. This is measured according to household income in their municipalities, which is more than 170% of the national average. The weakest provinces are the ANC-run Free State and North West, with average scores of 25 and 26 respectively. According to the report the municipalities in these provinces are in financial crisis.
The DA continues to lead in clean government, and notes that the DA-led Midvaal Municipality is the most financially sound and sustainable municipality in the Gauteng Province as measured in 2014. The Hessequa Municipality in the Western Cape scored the highest, and is a DA-led coalition government since 2011. We will continue making progress together in these municipalities, as well as to many more in the upcoming Local Government Elections.
The DA is committed to ensuring that South Africans are put first, and that public resources are spent effectively, responsibly and in an accountable manner. The DA will continue to work hard to earn the trust of South Africans where we govern and ensure that where we govern, citizens have the best quality of life in terms of access to resources and opportunities. Where we govern there is progress. South Africans should vote for the DA, a party that delivers, at the upcoming Local Government Elections.
Statement issued by Kevin Mileham MP, DA Shadow Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, 15 April 2016
