Cape Town - The province has decided to intervene in the Central Karoo District (CKD) Municipality following the council’s failure to table its draft 2021/22 budget before the June 30 deadline.
At the same time, following an intervention by the ANC and its coalition partner in Kannaland, the Independent Civic Organisation of SA (Icosa), the Kannaland municipality has successfully adopted a budget and by doing so prevented that municipality from a fate like that of Central Karoo.
Failing to table a budget in time contravenes a council’s duties and responsibilities in terms of the Constitution and relevant legislation.
The Western Cape provincial government had earlier issued a directive to both councils after they missed the legislated cut-off date of June 30 to adopt a budget. The Kannaland authorities managed to squeeze through the budget at the last minute on July 1.
In the CKD, however, despite Local Government MEC Anton Bredell and Finance and Economic Opportunities MEC David Maynier being in regular contact with the speaker and the mayor regarding the convening of a properly constituted council meeting for the purposes of tabling the 2021/2022 draft budget, there has been no progress.
Bredell said: “The municipality was advised and urged to table the budget but it was to no avail and accordingly the provincial government has no option but to step in at this point. The necessary paperwork has been sent to the council.”
Bredell said the municipality was cautioned on the consequences of the failure to table and adopt an annual budget timeously, including that such a failure would undermine the spirit of the municipality’s accountability to the community.
The provincial executive’s directive said the CKD speaker must urgently call and convene a properly constituted special council meeting on or before today (July 12).
The CKD council has been ordered to continue meeting every 24 hours until the 2021/2022 budget has been tabled, and this must happen on or before July 16.
The province also ordered that after the 2021/2022 budget is tabled, the speaker must call and convene a properly constituted special council meeting on or by July 26 for consideration and approval of the 2021/2022 final budget. They must continue meeting until the budget is approved.
Bredell said if the CKD had failed to have tabled, considered and adopted the budget by July 30, he would recommend further steps to be taken to ensure that a 2021/2022 budget is approved.
“These steps may include dissolving the CKD council and (i) appointing an administrator until a newly elected CKD council has been declared elected, and (ii) approving a temporary budget or revenue-raising measures to provide for the continued functioning of the municipality.”
Until the budget is approved, the municipality is prohibited from making any withdrawals from its bank accounts without the prior approval of MEC Maynier.