EVATON - National Treasury has been urged to tighten oversight of municipal finances and ensure officials are held accountable.
That’s the reaction from some residents after government released the remaining R7.1 billion in equitable share allocation to 49 of the 69 affected municipalities.
Treasury withheld the funds due to financial non-compliance.
Municipalities exist primarily to deliver basic services such as water, electricity, and refuse collection.
Some are struggling to fulfil even these fundamental obligations, a sign of collapsed governance.
Despite problems, some residents have welcomed Treasury’s decision to release funding to financially compromised municipalities.
The Wits Business School’s Professor Mazwe Majola believes poor leadership lies at the heart of the country’s municipal crisis.
Majola says political parties now have an opportunity to restore public confidence by selecting ethical and capable mayoral candidates ahead of the upcoming local government elections.
Parliament’s CoGTA Portfolio Committee and SCOPA have welcomed government’s commitment to establish an early-warning system and provide targeted support to financially distressed municipalities.
- eNCA’s Moloko Moloto reports.