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SCOPA Provincial chairperson, Mahlakeng Mahlakeng and EFF MPL, Alfred Motsi during SCOPA meeting

SCOPA provincial chairperson, Mahlakeng Mahlakeng commended has the board and management of the North West Provincial Arts and Cultural Council (NWPACC) for improving audit outcomes from a Disclaimer audit opinion in 2013/14 financial year to an Unqualified audit opinion with findings in the 2015/16 financial year. 

Mahlakeng said this came after the entity appeared before the Provincial Public Accounts Committee to account on the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) audit outcomes for the financial year 2015/16.

He further said the board and management has continued to show upward mobility in improving the financial situation of the provincial entity.

“You will leave the entity with integrity as it improved its audit outcomes when your term ends. 

“We will also engage with the major shareholder which is the department of Culture, Arts and Traditional Affairs (CATA) to check its oversight work on the provincial entity” he said.

Mahlakeng said SCOPA will engage with the South African Police Services to get a report on a case where R151 000 was withdrawn at Waterfall Mall in Rustenburg from the provincial entity’s  account but later withdrawn by SAPS due to non-cooperation from the departmental officials. 

“The department and the entity should also submit a progress report in 14 working days on how they will resolve the matter,” Mahlakeng said.

According to the Assistant Stakeholder Liaison Manager at Office of the Auditor General, Nombulelo Nqume the provincial entity operates in a positive net asset position although cash resources reduced significantly in the current financial year due to expenditure of projects. 

“The entity has negative cash from operations and concern exists as to future funding to management operating and future project expenses,” Nqume said.

In responding to the SCOPA questions on addressing irregular expenditure of R2,5 million in current financial year and R6,7 million in prior years, its root causes and control measures to improve expenditure management, the Administrator at the NWPACC, Celeste Mathe said the entity is preparing to file for all transactions regarding the R2,5 million incurred. 

“In respect of R6,7 million incurred in prior years, information was handed to the South African Police Service for further investigations.

“The Provincial Treasury is assisting with the preparation of the 2016/17 annual financial statements that will be reviewed by the Board prior to submission for audit. We will also review the Supply Chain Management policies and developed a checklist prior to payment approval and budget processes,” Mathe said.

MEC for CATA, Ontlametse Mochware said the department will ensure that the winding down process of the entity will be done in line with relevant legislation and that all unresolved matters are concluded.-Newsnote

MINISTER of Public Enterprises, Lynne Brown will hand over a Multipurpose Community centre in Mokgalwana, in Northam on Monday.

Brown said the Multi-Purpose Centre comprises of a computer room, a sewing room, four tribal offices and a community hall to be utilized by the surrounding communities.

“As a build-up to the national youth month programme, the handover is a significant step towards addressing skills shortages, lack of development, and economic exclusion experienced by most young people in Northam.

“The Multipurpose Centre becomes the latest addition of the legacy resulting from Eskom’s build programme which is committed to leaving an indelible mark in communities where it operates across the country. Medupi Power Station, supplies Spitskop Substation that utilizes the land belonging to the Mokgalwana, Matlametlo, and Matsinyane and Disake (MMMD) communities,” she said.

Brown further said she will bring state-owned companies such as Eskom, Transnet, Denel, SAX and Safcol to provide career guidance and useful information for the youth about available opportunities.

The event will be held at MMMD Community Centre next to Mokgalwana Clinic and Mokgalwana Primary School in Mokgalwana Village at 7am. -Newsnote

MORE than R63m has been set aside by Greater Taung Local Municipal mayor, Kgosi Nnyoko Motlhabane in quest to improve the lives of disadvantaged. Motlhabane tabled R320m municipal budget for 2017/18 financial year at Taung Hotel School and Convention Centre in Taung on Tuesday.

“More than R63m will be dedicated to Municipal Infrastructure Grants (MIG) projects in the municipality. Many far-flung areas will benefit. Lokgabeng village will receive a community hall worth R6 000 000.

“Kokomeng village will receive an access paved road with stormwater channel provision, road signs and marking worth R9 356 362. Some of the villages like Mase village will also receive a stormwater channel with stone pitching and a provision of pipe culverts worth R6 441 000,” he said.

Motlhabane added: “There are so many projects that will be implemented. Most communities have made their finally decisions in their respective community-based plenary meetings. The municipality will also take into consideration the implementation of the fifth administration vision.

“This will enhance growth to our economy through five concretes. We are also required to support economic growth through Villages, Townships and Small Dorpies (VTSD) by observing guidelines of Chamber of Commerce. The initiative is ward-based and will boost the economy growth especially in rustic areas.”

Motlhabane further said the municipality had already adopted 30% of local procurement in all projects across. He added that this will assist Small Micro Medium Enterprises (SMMEs).

“All our economy interventions should be in line with our most prestigious principle of radical economic transformation that intends to boost people’s economic growth. Most people who continue to live in abject poverty are from deprived backgrounds.

“More efforts should be implemented without a failure to enhance the National Development Plan (NDP) too. Chapter 6, Section 42 of the municipal system Act 32 of 2000 and Chapter 7 of Municipal Finance Management Act 56 of 2003 deals with responsibility of the mayor which outlines the process in which broader consultative meetings with communities and stakeholders need to be upheld.

“We had consultative meetings with communities through Integrated Development Plan (IDP). The municipality also responded to many issues raised by communities. We are going to emphasise on accountability and create a good governance,” Motlhabane said.

He further said the municipality will ensure it achieve its mandate even though they operate on a shoe-string budget. Motlhabane said they depending heavily on revenue collection and having more people as indigents because of economic upheaval.

“We are working meticulously with our traditional leaders to ensure that they make land available for those who want to embark on entrepreneurship. The municipality will also ensure that maintenance of infrastructure is vital.

“However, there are some concerns that are provincial and national governments provision. We will work together with them to address those matters. We also need to attract investors to Taung to create economic growth. The municipality will also use tourism, agriculture, culture and mining to fight against treble challenges.

“Good mechanism needs to be developed to accelerate functionality of tourism attraction areas like Taung Skull World Heritage Site and other many hidden treasures. Batho Pele principle will be adhered to and community empowerment through Local Economic Development (LED) programme is imminent,” Motlhabane said.

He added that he recently visited three clinics in Dryharts, Kgomotso and Khudutlou villages in quest to verify level of service delivery to communities. Motlhabane said they have also facilitated 12 community projects to assist Taung hospital.

“The hospital experiences budget constraints to employ workforce. So, special programmes will come in handy. We have rural sanitation project where we install 620 VIP toilets in Madipelesa and Lokgabeng villages at the budget of R10m. We have upgraded a bulk water project to improve water distribution at Baga-Maidi region at the budget of R12m.

“The municipality is also doing some upgrade on a new water purification works, storage facilities, bulk pipes and pump stations at the budget of R239m. We also install high-mast lights worth R6.9m in ward 7, 9, 11, 12 and 14. An ongoing Chiefscourt bridge project was constructed at R7.2m,” he said.

Motlhabane said: “The growth of the economy will assist us in job creation and fight against unemployment, inequality and poverty. We will also mobilise our people especially the youth to contribute to the economy growth. We also emphasis on Back2Basics system by practicing Batho Pele principle.

“The municipality will continue to engage with its communities, deliver basic service delivery, and uphold good governance, having sound financial management and builds viable institution.”

He said the municipality was in line with North West Premier, Supra Mahumapelo’s vision of Villages, Townships and Small Dorpies (VTSD) initiative. Motlhabane also said they will ensure that the land is available to the communities because without land, there is no transformation.

“The municipality will ensure that all incomplete projects across will receive necessary attention. We have already engaged with other stakeholders to bring financial support to capacitate Local Economic Development (LED) structure. More SMMEs especially owned by the youth will receive preference. -Newsnote

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The North West Provincial Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Local Government and Human Settlements is also concerned on high vacancy rate in key senior positions which leads to non-performance hence the worst  performance by municipalities of North West in the country.  

This came after the Office of the Auditor General presented the Provincial Audit outcomes of North West Municipalities for the Municipal Finance Management Act financial year 2015/16.

The Committee Chairperson, Motlalepula Rosho said the Committee is disappointed on the audit outcomes of the municipalities which regressed in the financial year under review and how municipalities do not benefit from the usage of such consultants.

“It is worrying that in all the 23 municipalities and three (3) municipal entities used consultants to prepare the annual financial statements for audit, they were alternatively returned by the Office of the Auditor General for further corrections but the audit outcomes did not improve. 

“The question that ponders our minds as the committee is ‘what is the role of the officials employed in the municipalities’, Rosho reiterated. 

“There is no value for money as the audit outcomes have regressed, consultants are paid and at the same  AG  was also paid Audi fees, whereby he returned the financial statements prepared by consultants. 

“There is “No municipality that can prove that annual financial statements prepared by the consultants were never returned for corrections. It is a complete waste of state resources which run into millions meant for service delivery,” said Rosho.

Rosho said high vacancy rate in the year under review shows that there is no capable human capital to improve service delivery. 

“There is also poor performance in the municipalities to ensure that there is compliance on key legislation and regulations. The Acting Business Executive at Provincial Auditor General’s Office, Schalla Van Wyk said even after the appointment of consultants, eighteen (18) municipalities still did not achieve unqualified audit outcomes.

“In the financial year under review, R26 million was paid by the Provincial Treasury on those consultants. Lack of improvement on audit outcomes is mainly due to lack of document and records maintained by such municipalities; lack of progress in addressing underlying weaknesses in internal key controls and limited steps were taken to investigate previous transgressions which resulted in inadequate consequence management. 

Van Wyk said most contributors to the unauthorised; irregular and fruitless and wasteful expenditures are municipalities which received numerous provincial interventions such as Ngaka Modiri Molema District; Mahikeng; Matlosana; the then Ventersdorp (NW405) and Madibeng Local Municipalities.

 He further said an amount of R142 million in grant funding in the current financial year was surrendered back to the National Treasury and additional R466,1 million in the previous financial year due to underspending.

Rosho said the high usage of consultants also compromised Provincial Treasury’s resolution to minimise consultancy reliance. 

“Finance Department (FEED) must explain how a small municipality such as Kagisano-Molopo can spend R18,6 million and Madibeng Local Municipality, R19,3 million on consultants just to prepare annual financial statements. Their audit outcomes have not improved yet communities are complaining about lack of service delivery,” said Rosho.

Rosho said the Committee will hold a joint meeting with the Standing Committee on Provincial Public Accounts, Portfolio Committee on Premier, Finance, Economy and Enterprise Development, South African Local Government Association,  the Department of Local Government and Human Settlements and Department of Finance Economy and Enterprise Development to reflect on a radical turn-around strategy to assist the municipalities to improve its performance but also provide a best service to its communities. 

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