According to Finance MEC Gadija Brown, the department will have to ensure the improvement of audit outcomes, the establishment of water laboratories in municipalities, and make provision for the House of Traditional Leaders.

Tabling the province’s 2021/22 Budget at Gariep Dam on Tuesday, Brown confirmed that the state of municipalities in the province is still a cause for concern. She further confirmed that the challenges experienced in many municipalities are aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Her statement on the state of municipalities comes amidst growing concerns over their escalating debt to Eskom and water boards. This, coupled with their inability to generate revenue, fill key vacant positions and provide services to residents.

“We note with appreciation the financial recovery plans and the administrative stabilisation that have been achieved as part of your intervention in Mafube and Mangaung municipalities. The intervention of COGTA in Maluti-A-Phofung, Mafube and Masilonyana, in relation to the catch-up plan on the submission of Annual Financial Statements, is highly appreciated,” she said.

Brown’s statements regarding municipalities in the province come just a day before the Public Account and Finance Committee is set to brief the media on municipalities’ reports. The committee, led by the Chief Whip of the Free State Legislature, Vusi Tshabalala, is on Wednesday expected to outline audited financial statements of various municipalities, including the troubled Mangaung Metro Municipality and Maluti-A-Phofung Local Municipality, among others.

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