The ANC-controlled Polokwane Local Municipality (Pietersburg) has adopted four of the FF Plus's proposals concerning the 2021/22 annual financial report.
This is the first time that this ANC-controlled council has taken on board any of the party's suggestions.
The adopted proposals are:
1. That all planning and the appointment of contractors and consultants must be finalised in the fourth quarter for swift implementation when the new financial year commences.
2. That directors must be held accountable if they fail to ensure that the annual performance plans / contracts are in line with the service delivery targets contained in the adopted Service Delivery and Budget implementation process.
3. That supply-chain management must appoint qualified service providers with the potential capacity to complete the awarded projects to avoid the loss of allocations and incomplete projects.
4. That poorly performing contractors must be placed on the Municipality's blacklist, as determined by the assessment report on the performance of service providers.
The FF Plus is a member of the Municipality's Public Accounts Committee (MPAC), which compiled an oversight report as part of its legal obligations in terms of the Municipal Financial Management Act.
The proposals that promote financial accountability and management will benefit all residents, and force the Municipality's directors to exercise stringent control over contracted projects.
The comments that the council's Chief Whip, Adolf Rapetswa, made on the party's proposals were of a positive nature.
The implementation of the party's proposals will mean that projects, funded by allocations, will be completed on time and as a result, unspent funds will not have to be paid back to the National Treasury.
The advantage of this is that basic service delivery budgets will then not be exhausted to complete incomplete projects.
The FF Plus did, however, object to the council's adoption of the annual report without reservation.
The party is of the opinion that the annual report must be sent back for review before publication so that the errors that were made can be monitored and rectified.
The FF Plus will continue to act as watchdog and fight for better service delivery for residents.
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