Tshwane is the worst metro in Gauteng, Auditor-General Terence Nombembe said in a scathing report on the province’s municipalities on Thursday.
Nombembe says the province’s municipalities still spend irregularly, and 78 percent of them ignore policies and regulatory requirements in procurements and financial transactions.
Only nine of the municipalities received unqualified audit reports. Mayor Gwen Ramokgopa’s City of Tshwane has failed to improve over the years “while other municipalities continue to get better”.
Housing Company Tshwane is the only municipal entity to receive a disclaimer this year. Tshwane spokesperson Dikeledi Phiri said she had no comment.
Though expenditures were eventually accounted for, municipalities often scrambled at the financial year-end to compile information for the AG.
Nombembe said in future he would ensure that municipalities had weekly and monthly up-to- date records.
Even where there were clean audits, Nombembe said, “there were concerns about a lot of information that was not provided”.
“Sometimes we had to go through a concerted effort to get information. The AG had to correct many mistakes during the audit process,” he said.
Premier Nomvula Mokonyane said in future the auditing of municipalities would be linked to performance outcomes.
“This will ensure we build public confidence in the municipalities,” she said.
Source: www.sowetan.co.za, 20100305
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