Whilst all other coalition governed cities in Gauteng have all their ducks in a row and critical executive committees in place to support the council, Mogale City are still not compliant in this respect, says Cllr Amanda de Lange from the Freedom Front Plus.
According to De Lange these executive committees: Ethics committee, Rules Committee and most important, the MPAC (Municipal Public Accounts Committee), were put in place at local governments to deal with problematic issues.
The MPAC (Municipal Public Accounts Committee) has the authority to investigate any financial irregularities in the municipality. "Without this committee. we cannot successfully investigate and address gross financial misconduct that took place in the past" says De Lange. "I was a member of the Section 80 Finance Portfolio Committee for the last few years and it is extremely frustrating that none of the implicated people have yet been prosecuted. In the meantime, they are disappearing in the ANC systems".
When asked "why these committees, especially the MPAC committee, has not been established yet, De Lange shook her head and said the DA recon it is the responsibility of the ANC Speaker, whilst the Speakers office says it is for the Mayors' discretion".
De Lange has already requested for the compliance to establish these committees in a number of council meetings, as well as direct requests to the Mayors' office with no reply. "I am extremely concerned about the situation as the Rules Committee should have been in place to handle the ANC Speakers charges against the majority ruling parties' councillors instead of playing judge and jury with the excuse that there is no Rules Committee to deal with the issue.
The MPAC Committee should have investigated and put proposals to the council and Mayoral Committee already. This committee is also the guardian of expenses of the municipality. No tenders, large amounts of funds and other matters with financial implications can be executed without the approval of the MPAC (Municipal Public Accounts Committee).
Currently there are no transparency with regards to the daily management of Mogale City and too many issues need to be addressed urgently. One of the most important issues the Freedom Front Plus has been fighting for a long time is the incorrect municipal accounting system costing residents a lot of frustration and time trying to get these queries addressed.
De Lange reiterated that she will not stop putting pressure on the authorities to resolve this matter post haste.
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