Cape Town - Unqualified audits, audits, their effect on service delivery and the province’s measures to fix the situation in four of the Western Cape’s worst-performing municipalities topped the agenda of a briefing to members of the local government standing committee.
New committee member Cayla Murray (DA) as well as old hand Nosipho Makamba-Botya (EFF) raised issues with regards to the Laingsburg, Kannaland, Beaufort West and Oudtshoorn municipalities, which provincial local government department head Graham Paulse said they were dealing with very closely to provide support and assistance.
Paulse addressed the committee on the audit outcomes of municipalities in the Western Cape for the 2020/21 financial year with specific reference to the underperforming municipalities and the corrective measures and support envisaged for them.
In terms of the findings, municipal support and capacity building director Eda Barnard told members the findings were as a result of a combination of factors such as supply chain and contract management as well as ICT issues, HR matters and internal controls.
She said that there were also specific matters, and her team had to look at what specific areas various municipalities required support in.
Using Beaufort West municipality as an example, Barnard said challenges manifested in communities through service delivery problems.
She said when dealing with such issues, the province tended to work backwards in an attempt to identify the core of the problem.
Meanwhile, the department has assured members of the legislature that its investigative unit – set up to more fully probe fraud, corruption and maladministration in municipalities all across the province – was up and running.
Responding to a question from Cameron Dugmore (ANC), Barnard told members the investigation work was highly regulated and fell under the relevant sections of the Municipal Systems Act and the Western Cape Monitoring and Support Act.
“As we sit here, the team has dealt with allegations in six municipalities and has issued and finalised reports in three of those municipalities.”