DA calls on COGTA to urgently intervene in collapsing municipalities

23 May 2018

The DA notes with concern the findings of the Auditor General (A-G), Kimi Makwetu, as contained in the Consolidated General Report on the Local Government Audit Outcomes: 2016-17. The A-G reported “an overall deterioration in the audit results of South Africa’s municipalities” for the period, admitting that it is “five years later, and we are still faced with the same accountability and governance challenges we had flagged throughout these years. There has been no significant positive change towards credible results; instead, we are witnessing a reversal in audit outcomes”.

Despite the grim overall picture painted by the A-G, the DA is proud of the Western Cape’s performance, as 86% of our municipalities received a “good” overall assessment for financial health. Once again the DA-governed Western Cape has come out miles ahead of ANC-governed municipalities, with only 47% of municipalities in second-placed KwaZulu-Natal achieving the same assessment for financial health and none at all in the Free State. This is further proof that where the DA governs our people have transparent and efficient governments.

In the DA-run metros in Johannesburg, Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay, we inherited a mess from years of ANC mismanagement. We have, since August 2016, worked tirelessly to run clean governments which deliver services to over 16 million South Africans. Our Mayors will continue to work hard to bring much-needed change and rid the metros of the rot the ANC has left.

Alarmingly, the A-G found that all municipalities in the Free State, 59% of municipalities in the North West and 56% of municipalities in the Northern Cape require interventions. These findings are a damning indictment on the ANC-led governments in these provinces. In particular, Ace Magashule and Supra Mahumapelo have single-handily destroyed local governments in the provinces that they led. Instead of being punished for depriving South Africans of the much-needed change, the ANC has now rewarded them both by simply redeploying them.

The DA strongly condemns the lack of intervention and support from the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) and we call on Minister Zweli Mkhize to timeously address this failure by acting boldly and urgently implementing financial recovery plans in the 83 municipalities which require interventions. It is simply not good enough to have these damning reviews years after our municipalities have been plunged into a state of crisis. COGTA must have a far more active role in ensuring that we do not lose billions to corruption like has been the case for the past 3 years.

It is clear that South Africa needs total change. The ANC has demonstrated it cannot be trusted to run clean and effective governments.

Issued by Kevin Mileham, DA Shadow Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, 23 May 2018