Durban - Thirteen of 61 KwaZulu-Natal municipalities bypassed normal procedures when procuring goods and services during the 2012/2013 financial year, the province's co-operative governance and traditional affairs department said on Wednesday.
One municipality recorded 88 deviations, spokesman Lennox Mabaso said.
Another recorded the highest monetary volume of such transactions, R43 029 440.
The municipalities used municipal supply chain management regulation 36, which allows them to deviate from the normal requirement of getting several quotes.
“It is important to note that emergency deviations from the normal procurement procedures are acceptable and legal provided that they are justified by a genuine emergency or unavailability of required goods and services from multiple providers,” MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube said.
She was speaking at a municipal finance mini-conference in Durban.
The department was putting pressure on municipal chief financial officers to use emergency deviations strictly in line with regulation 36.
“Good financial governance remains our top priority. We are determined to make a lasting impact on service delivery through improved municipal audits,” said Dube-Ncube.
Sapa