The Auditor-General (AG), Tsakani Maluleke, says millions are spent on consultants, despite warnings. She was addressing Members of Parliament (MPs) during a joint virtual meeting on Wednesday. 

The AG previously reported that all 22 municipalities in the province were, according to the report, making use of consultants in addition to their financial staff complement, leading to wasteful expenditure. A total of R277,7 million was spent by municipalities in the province during the 2019/20 financial year alone.

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Maluleke told parliamentarians, without giving a specific number, that these municipalities in the province continue to record disclaimer audit opinions whilst the lack of service delivery and performance deteriorate. She has blamed this on what she labels as significant leadership instability, which she says is continuing to deteriorate.

ALSO READ: Almost half of North West municipalities' expenditure irregular

“Active citizenry is crucial to ensure that the needs of communities are heard and acted on, and that municipal leaders are held accountable for their actions. It is now time to activate the accountability ecosystem to shift the culture in local government towards performance, integrity, transparency and accountability”.

“We call on all role-players in the local government accountability ecosystem to diligently play their part to ensure accountability for government spending, thereby improving service delivery and the quality of life for South Africa’s citizens,” Maluleke adds.

She further adds that the lack of improvement in municipal outcomes is an indictment on the entire local government accountability ecosystem, which failed to act and arrest the decline that continued to be characterised by poor service delivery in municipalities.

 Maluleke made the presentation of her report, before three committees, namely the Standing Committee on the Auditor-General, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, and the Select Committee on Appropriations.

OFM News previously reported that the Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee for Cooperative Governance at the North West Provincial Legislature, Aaron Motswana, told OFM News that municipalities in the province are not complying with the legislation which governs them and are also battling with issues such as irregular expenditure, amongst others.

OFM News