The North West Legislature’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) has sharply criticised delays in the implementation of key municipal service delivery projects across the province.
The concerns were raised during public hearings with the Naledi, Kagisano-Molopo, Mamusa and Lekwa-Teemane local municipalities, where the committee assessed the status of municipal public accounts. The hearings also focused on findings related to unauthorised, irregular and wasteful expenditure.
SCOPA Chairperson Smuts Matshe urged municipalities to intensify efforts to ensure the completion of all outstanding projects, warning that unfinished developments undermine democratic governance.
“These are important projects that our people depend on for services. Leaving them incomplete goes against the principles of our democracy and does not reflect a government that serves its people,” said Matshe.
He further called on municipal officials to provide regular progress reports on all stalled and ongoing projects to ensure accountability.
The persistent problem of stalled projects in the North West has been attributed to a range of factors, including funding constraints, poor management, government inefficiencies and underperforming contractors.
Meanwhile, the provincial government has appealed to residents to refrain from destroying public infrastructure during service delivery protests, cautioning that such actions only worsen delays in completing outstanding projects.
