JOHANNESBURG - South Africa's Auditor-General has again painted a bleak picture of the country's municipalities.
Tsakani Maluleke presented the 2024/2025 local government audit outcomes to Parliament on Wednesday.
The report offers important insights into the management of public resources and accountability across municipalities and municipal entities.
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According to Maluleke, the 2024/25 local government audit outcomes reveal that 39 municipalities, 15%, achieved clean audits, while 38 municipalities, representing 24% of the total local government expenditure budget, have regressed since 2020 and 2021.
Maluleke said while fewer municipalities received disclaimer of opinion audits, the most common outcome remains an unqualified audit opinion with findings, signalling ongoing challenges in compliance, financial management and performance reporting.
She said over the past four years, mayors and councils have made limited progress to strengthen governance and improve service delivery, as residents and businesses continue to experience unreliable service delivery, environmental hazards and deteriorating infrastructure.
“They further oversaw municipalities with deteriorating financial health,” Maluleke noted.
Maluleke has now implored municipalities to meet legislative obligations while also committing to open governance and pursuing a more collaborative approach to administration.
Some of the recommendations include, among other things, maintaining stability in the administration, building capable institutions through coordinated intergovernmental support.