Serious DA failures brought into the open!
The DA in government today received a really shocking report by the Auditor General of South Africa (AG) with the worst findings since the Western Cape came under DA rule. It also confirms the ANC stance that service delivery under the DA has seriously relapsed and in crisis!
Less than half (only five) of the fourteen provincial departments/votes recorded a clean audit while serious problems were listed with most of those five. Of the twelve provincial entities two (Cape Nature and the Housing Development Fund) received bad qualified opinions. This fund is a grave cause for concern as it handles billions of taxpayer Rand.
Over the period 2012/13, the quality of performance reports regressed, leadership stagnated, procurement problems were widespread, management responses were slow and vacancies of key positions rendered caused instability or staff background not checked out before appointments. Problems identified in the past years were also not addressed sufficiently, which led to regression in vital areas.
ANC chief whip in the Western Cape legislature Pierre Uys says: "This report is an indictment against the arrogant DA. Most alarming is the fact that regression was also noted in the department of the premier where stagnation occurred, key officials lacked appropriate competencies and management was slow to address issues or limit risks, while deficiencies in internal controls and inaccuracies in reports or documents are also pointed out. The AG informed the legislature that significant areas need improvement.
"It is a travesty and scandalous that premier Helen Zille in her department is not leading by example. The AG is concerned about the way Zille and her department mitigate key risk areas. Poor leadership is the order of the day in too many departments. Is it any wonder then that the whole of the administration had various problems highlighted? There seems to be a lack of consequences for poor performance and transgressions, while accounting officers are not dealt with where they do not perform."
The DA is laid bare for all to see.
"This is a terrible report with major regression. Something big also went wrong in Cape Nature where that entity (government agency) crashed. MEC's Anton Bredell (local government, environmental affairs and development planning), Bonginkosi Madikizela (human settlements) and Ivan Meyer (cultural affairs and sport) did not meet the expectation. In fact, they shamefully failed the people of the Western Cape.
"Especially Madikizela has proven that he is the weakest link as his poor political leadership and unresponsiveness to the AG was highlighted. His department fails to meet its targets to provide homeless and poor people with adequate shelter.
"Bredell removed the Cape Nature CEO Manana Moroka who objected to a specific tender process and now we see what became of that entity! With him at the helm of local government, is it any wonder then that municipalities are in trouble? Meyer's department got severe criticism, while he is a public administration theorist! Even the legislature regressed under speaker Richard Majola, the AG found.
"The DA revealed that its leaders are not fit for purpose. This is not world-class or exemplary. The DA is in deep trouble.
"The real test is how ordinary people's lives improved as governance goes beyond ticking boxes and complying to set standards. This test the DA also fails as many people must contend with inferior or undignified services. The DA only deceives voters with propaganda and spin that it is superior. It hides the truth. The truth is, it is bad for the Western Cape and should be replaced soon," Uys added.
The ANC will interrogate these DA governance faults and failures in the next few weeks as each department has to report to the legislature. The ANC will dig further as the AG sampled and checked only about thirty to forty percent of transactions.
Statement issued by ANC Chief Whip Pierre Uys, October 10 2013
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