The North West province is set to face intense scrutiny as a joint oversight delegation, comprising the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), the Standing Committee on Public Accounts, and the Standing Committee on the Auditor-General, embarks on a crucial three-day visit beginning Monday. The focus will be on municipalities that have a troubling history of financial disclaimers, which is raising alarms about the state of municipal governance and financial management in the region.
Recent audit outcomes from the Office of the Auditor-General underscore the dire situation, revealing that municipalities in North West are grappling with overwhelming debt while persistently tabling unfunded budgets. Alarmingly, many have neglected to investigate billions of rand linked to irregular expenditure.
“Service delivery has deteriorated in several areas, with some municipalities, such as Ramotshere Moiloa Local Municipality, failing to meet basic infrastructure targets despite allocated budgets,” the joint delegation stated. “Others, including Ditsobotla and Ratlou municipalities, continue to receive disclaimers year after year, while allegations of fraud, political interference, and mismanagement plague councils like Tswaing Local Municipality.”
Compounding these issues, the Ramotshere Moiloa Municipality recently found itself in the spotlight when operations were suspended for three days following a confrontation involving two security firms contracted by the municipality. Instability was exacerbated by the unprecedented scenario of two mayors being appointed, further fracturing local governance.
During the oversight visit, the delegation, in coordination with the Provincial Legislature, will engage with all 23 municipalities in the province. Meetings are slated with mayors, council speakers, municipal managers, and chief financial officers to assess the current landscape and accountability measures being implemented.
Premier Lazarus Mokgosi, alongside MEC for Cooperative Governance Oageng Molapisi and MEC for Finance Kenetswe Mosenogi, will provide insights into ongoing efforts to stabilise these municipalities amid escalating concerns and constitutional obligations.
“The oversight visit aims to enforce accountability and consequence management,” Chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on COGTA Dr Zweli Mkhize said. “We require municipalities to clarify the misallocation and loss of billions in rand that should have been directed toward essential services like water and electricity. It is crucial that political office bearers and accounting officers face repercussion for their continual failures.”
Mkhize cautioned that municipalities must not be allowed to disregard legal frameworks and neglect the communities they serve without facing consequences, advocating for a robust intergovernmental relations framework to support municipalities in fulfilling their constitutional mandates.
This oversight initiative comes as part of a wider engagement strategy targeting underperforming municipalities across various provinces. Following the North West visit, the delegation will proceed to Gauteng for further oversight from 4 to 5 September.
