The ANC government in Mpumalanga’s mismanagement is most evident in the terrible state of its failing municipalities.
The Freedom Front Plus (VF Plus) offered the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Mr Speedy Mashilo, a hand and expertise to help run these municipalities, but it was refused.
Mr. Mashilo also denied that most municipalities in the province are governed poorly.
And yet most municipalities in Mpumalanga are characterised by failed service delivery due to poor financial management, and a lack of essential skills and abilities, as pointed out in reports by the Auditor-General (AG).
Constant interventions are needed to improve governance and service delivery across the province.
Problems include unsafe roads, poor healthcare, unemployment, the impact of load shedding on service delivery, and sewage pollution of water sources posing far-reaching health and environmental hazards.
According to the latest AG report on Mpumalanga, the province had stagnant audit outcomes in 2023/24. Some departments showed a slight improvement, while others declined.
Several issues, such as instability in key positions, the lack of robust financial controls and a failure to heed previous warnings from the AG, were highlighted.
The report also highlighted that while some departments had improved their performance reporting, others still did not publish credible reports, hampering accountability.
The high levels of irregular, fruitless and unauthorised expenditure are alarming. It is mainly caused by corrupt activities and inefficiency in procurement processes.
These problems are exacerbated by inept officials and an employment process driven by cadre deployment instead of merit.
It is crucial to address, and not deny, the abovementioned problems.
Local economic development cannot take place without the infrastructure and basic services municipalities are meant to provide – which are crucial for creating a healthy environment for investments.
The ANC government has, however, repeatedly demonstrated that it is utterly incompetent.
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