By REGINALD KANYANE

25 March 2025- The Democratic Alliance (DA) caucus leader in the North West Provincial Legislature, Freddy Sonakile said they call for an urgent and comprehensive investigation by the Auditor-General (AG) into the misuse of petrol cards across all municipalities in the province. This follows alarming concerns over potential fraud, irregular spending, and a complete lack of accountability in municipal fuel expenditures.

Sonakile said during the presentation of the 2023/24 municipal audit outcomes to the Legislature’s Provincial Public Accounts Committee, the AG confirmed that petrol card usage was audited in Moses Kotane Local Municipality. He further said given the widespread governance failures across the province, the DA demands that this specialised audit be extended to all North West municipalities to uncover the full extent of possible abuse.

“Not one North West municipality received a clean audit for the 2023/24 financial year—a damning indictment of the province’s financial mismanagement and systemic corruption.

“Reports of fuel card fraud in various municipalities point to a deeper culture of looting, where public funds meant for service delivery are syphoned with impunity.

Municipal budgets are already stretched thin, and every cent lost to corruption means fewer resources for basic services such as water, electricity, and road maintenance,” said Sonakile.

He added that the DA is committed to taking action to ensure that the people of North West receive the efficient and accountable governance they deserve. Sonakile said they demand immediate action from the AG and the provincial government to conduct a full-scale audit into petrol card usage, implement stringent financial controls, and hold accountable those who have abused public resources.

“The DA will continue to fight for clean governance, transparency, and the responsible use of taxpayers’ money,” he said.

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