The FF Plus welcomes government's decision to phase out the Section-100 administration of North West.
The inter-ministerial team that was established to oversee the government's intervention in the administration of the North West's provincial government today confirmed the decision in a progress report that was submitted to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) in Parliament.
The report, however, also indicates that after four years of administrative oversight, the problems in the provincial administration are far from being resolved.
The report also clearly confirms that the FF Plus's views as well as its constant critique of the North West government and the national government's ineffective attempts to intervene in the province’s administration were justified.
The period was characterised by conflict between the provincial government and the appointed administrators, and the absence of accountable government.
It resulted in overall instability and declining morale in the provincial administration.
In addition, the report once again highlights the large-scale corruption and mismanagement that have been rampant in the provincial government for years.
Irregular expenditure amounting to more than R12 billion has already been identified and numerous forensic investigations are still ongoing. Five out of the twelve provincial departments in the North West still received qualified audits for the 2020/21 financial year.
Interestingly enough, most of the irregular expenditure relates to infrastructure projects.
It is an absolute shame that billions of rand was lost due to corruption and mismanagement in a province that is severely affected by the decay of roads and infrastructure in general.
Equally alarming is the report's finding that critical positions still have not been filled presumably as a result of the province's Affirmative Action (AA) targets.
These include positions for rare professional occupations, like civil engineers and architects. The ANC government's obsession with its racial targets, at the expense of communities' interests, is unacceptable.
The report states, furthermore, that future oversight over government affairs in the North West will be conducted by a "post-intervention monitoring mechanism" to ensure that outstanding matters are finalised. However, the composition, mandate, and powers and functions of such a mechanism are not mentioned.
It is important that accountable government is restored in the North West, and that the national government's expensive and ineffective "administrative oversight" does not simply continue in a different form.
The FF Plus will continue to focus on restoring a functional government in the North West and prioritising resources for the benefit of the community.
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