BY REGINALD KANYANE

THE troubled Ngaka Modiri Molema municipality reportedly lost staggering R1bn in irregular and wasteful expenditure between 2012 and 2014. This came to light when officials of the municipality appeared before the provincial select committee on public accounts (SCOPA) in Mahikeng on Wednesday.

Scopa members described the state of affairs at the municipality as shambolic and in need of complete overhaul. It seems that the root cause for many problems facing the municipality related to instability and vacancies in key management positions.

And other issues were key officials lack appropriate competences, and that causes the municipality to be reliance on expensive consultants in the process.

Mahlake Mahlakeng questioned the leadership style of the new administration that was put in place since the municipality was put under administration last year.

He said the administration did not have answers and any strategic plans that show that they could turn around the situation at the municipality. He sent the municipal manager and the administrator packing.

“We cannot accept the report like this one. Almost all questions are not answered, and we want to know if there is any remedial measure in place to address the auditor general findings for the 2013-14 financial years,” Mahlakeng said.

The municipality has been obtaining disclaimer audit opinions for the period 2009/10 to 2013/14. According to report, the findings are repeated findings meaning they have not been addressed over the years.

The municipality was put under section 139(c) of the Constitution from September 2014 to November 2014. The council was dissolved in September 2014 and the new council was inaugurated.

“We want to know if the council comply with section 127 and 129 to 132 of the MFMA. But according to your response, you say the executive mayor did not table the annual report for 2013-14 on time because the auditor general suspended the audit process. But what did you do until today? That’s my question to you,” Mahlakeng said.

He ordered the acting municipal manager, Norman Gopane and the administrator, Nono Dince to act accordingly and take major decision against those who do not comply.

Acting municipal manager, Gopane said: “We having a problem with the workers at the municipality. Most of them do not want to comply according to their job descriptions. The mentality within the employees needs to change so that we can resolve all issues that we find the municipality in,” he said.

DA member, Chris Hattingh told Gopane that the most of municipality’s irregular expenditure comes from hiring expensive consultants while there are people within the municipality hired to do the same job. “I am flabbergasted because you come here and you want the committee to believe your report. Most of what we see here is a repetition of what was presented previously. So we want to know what you did since you were roped in.

“You know the disclaimer that you always get is from prior year, and can you explain to the committee that is there any plan to recoup the irregular expenditure that we see reported by audit-general. More than R1bn cannot be accounted for, and that becomes a problem because that money belongs to the taxpayers,” he said.

Administrator, Dince told the committee that the municipality’s problems are deeper than what it seems. She said the staff employed need to have the right attitude because it seems there is no way forward.

“Most senior managers do not report, and that becomes a problem for us because now we have to run around and get reports from them,” she said.

According to the report, unauthorised expenditure of R1bn has not been investigated and dealt with in terms of section 32 and chapter 15 of the MFMA.

However Gopane said: “This is one of the issues that have been identified as part of the legacy issues during 2014/2015 audit process. This will be addressed in the next financial year as part of the audit action plan.”

Mahlakeng requested the municipality representatives to bring back a well-tailored report which includes a strategic plan within 14 working days.

-TDN

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