KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube has laid down the law for failing municipalities that, despite intervention by the Provincial Government, continue to receive poor audit outcomes.
She said they acknowledge that perhaps they have been very soft on dealing with some transgressions and wrongdoings happening in the KZN municipalities.
“We need to act swiftly to those that think these municipalities belongs to them or belongs to their families,” she said.
The premier was joined by MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Bongiwe Sithole-Moloi in a meeting with some of the municipalities in Durban on Tuesday.
The meeting followed the presentation of audit outcomes made by the Auditor-General in May, where several municipalities received negative reports over the financial year.
Dube-Ncube noted that some of the guilty municipalities were already subject of intervention. However, she said that some municipalities, according to the latest report, not only received negative reports but also underwent regression in critical areas where councillors were supposed to have a strong oversight.
“I don't think we can allow this deterioration to happen and that is why we are here today.
“It is not good for me or you that when Parliament meets and receives a report from the AG, that KZN is the last one on the pack that are receiving bad audit outcomes because it means we are not managing the finances of the public in a correct manner,” she said.
A list of municipalities were invited to the meeting. Dube-Ncube said wanted to get an understanding on what needed to be done to get things right despite the current interventions.
She said that some municipalities continued to display lapses in administration, as characterised by the AG report.
“You need to understand what it is we are arguing here and how important and serious it is that we also have to ensure that our obligations are met.
“If we are to build an ethical, credible and developmental state then it's got to be underpinned by ethical leadership, strong leadership that sets the tone. That is what I am doing from my side and expecting from yourself,” she said.
She told municipal representatives she didn't need to remind them that local government was the backbone of development in communities and the “heartbeat of our country”.
To succeed, she said, it is essential to have dedicated, responsive, and professional public service professionals. These professionals are in top positions on merit rather than friendship.
“When President Ramaphosa speaks in the State of the Nation and Lekgotla’s, we also supposed to follow suit because we all receive money from the national government, from the national fiscus and therefore we are expected to account for those monies that are given to us.”
She said they have seen consistently poor audit outcomes and the inadequate utilisation of the municipal infrastructure grant, among other grants from the provincial and National Treasury.
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