The FF Plus requested the Gauteng MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Mzikayifani Khumalo, to urgently intervene after the Ekurhuleni Metro’s Speaker failed to convene a council meeting to table the audited annual financial report and financial statements to the Council.
The Speaker is Ms Nthabiseng Tshivhenga of the EFF.
In terms of section 127(2) of the Municipal Financial Management Act (MFMA), the audited annual financial report and financial statements should be tabled to the Council no later than 31 January.
The FF Plus sent a letter to the Speaker on 7 December last year, specifically requesting a council meeting to address this item.
The same request, which was ignored in December, was made again early in January 2024. Two council meetings did take place on 25 January 2024, but the item in question was not on the agenda.
The Speaker’s apparent unwillingness to table the audited annual financial report and financial statements not only hampers the functioning of the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC), but also amounts to a violation of the MFMA.
In the FF Plus’s view, it is clear that the Speaker is helping the Mayoral Committee Member for Finance, Nkululeko Dunga, to withhold the audited annual financial report and financial statements from the Council.
This raises the question of why the EFF does not want these important documents to be disclosed. The FF Plus suspects it is to prevent damning evidence relating to the Metro’s financial management from coming to light.
The FF Plus is of the opinion that the Speaker exceeded her quota for rash decisions and mistakes long ago already, and that action should now be taken against her for non-compliance and/or violation of municipal legislation.
Ekurhuleni residents are bearing the brunt of the poor leadership that is not putting their interests first.
The FF Plus will not leave it at that, so, the party has referred the matter to the Provincial Legislature for urgent intervention.
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