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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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Eight police officers working at the Golela Border Post in KwaZulu-Natal have been arrested on corruption-related charges, authorities said on Wednesday.

The suspects, aged between 30 and 43, were arrested by officers from the national and province Counter Crime Intelligence Division as well as detectives in KZN.

Police spokesperson Brigadier Jay Naicker said that an eight month long investigation revealed that the police officers allegedly solicited bribes to facilitate the movement of illegal vehicles and goods across the border into Swaziland.

“Once enough evidence had been collected, the investigators applied for warrants of arrest which were granted and had to be executed.”

Naicker said a team headed to the Golela border on Tuesday where they arrested four police officers who were on duty at the time.

“Two other officers were off-duty and at the police barracks when they were also arrested. The last two police officers were arrested in Pongola.”

KZN Acting Provincial Commissioner, Major General Bheki Langa welcomed the arrests.

“Corruption within the ranks of the SAPS will not be tolerated. We have many thousands of fine upstanding police officers who will never accept criminal police officers in the SAPS.”

Police Minister Fikile Mbalula also welcomed the arrests saying it was in line with his call to “get rid of corrupt elements within our ranks”.

“The police badge is an honour to serve not a right to be corrupt,” he said.

Mbalula added that corrupt police officers days “are numbered”.

Source: http://www.news24.com

BY REGINALD KANYANE
​The Democratic Alliance said it is concerned after the North West Department of Education has ignored recommendations aimed at improving access to education for the learners of Seoleseng Middle School in Vaaltyn village in the Greater Taung Municipality. 

The Portfolio Committee on Education recommended to the department that Seoleseng Middle School should be provided with mobile classes to address the acute shortage of classrooms at the school.

DA provincial spokesperson on Education, Dr Tutu Faleni said they found out that more than hundred of learners crammed in one classroom during an oversight visit to the school on Tuesday.

“The DA was informed that the more than 100 learners were actually grade 8 and 9 learners who due to lack of classroom, had to be accommodated in one classroom. 

“Two teachers are compelled by the unacceptable circumstances to deliver lessons to two grades under one roof,” he said.

Faleni further said they also concerned that 138 learners are transported in one bus to the school. He said they were appalled that the lives of the learners are at risk due to the refusal of the department to heed the recommendations of the Portfolio Committee. 

“It was brought to the attention of the DA that more than two hundred learners use two toilets which were unhygienic and in a state of disrepair. 

“The DA is of the view that the bad conditions of teaching and learning at Seoleseng Middle School are a violation of the learners’ constitutional right to education,” he said.

Faleni added: “We will write to the MEC for Education and urge him to implement the recommendations of the Portfolio Committee on Education which were meant to improve the conditions of teaching and learning for learners at Seoleseng Middle School.”

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BY KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

In an an effort to raise awareness on the rights of children, North West Department of Education and Sport Development Department has joined the nation in support of this vital national programme by hosting child protection summit.

MEC Sello Lehari said the summit was aimed at creating a dialogue between learners, department officials and the education community at large. Lehari further said learners will table their challenges on the infringement of their rights and how best the system can assist in resolving them.

“We are in partnership with SAPS, Social Development, Community Safety, Health and National Prosecution Authority (NPA). A total of 600 learners from six neighbouring schools will be gathered at Thuto-Kematla Secondary School in Zeerust on Friday. The event will commence at 9am and we have already spearheaded the process by running build up events in which over 40 schools were visited in search of drugs and illegal weapons,” he said.

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BY KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

North West Provincial Legislature will embark on O re bone, re go bone – Taking Parliament to the People campaign in Taung on Tuesday. The department’s Deputy Manager in Communication, Namhla Luhabe said they celebrating 20 years of the constitution through enhanced public participation, oversight and promoting accountability and transparency in various municipalities under the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati District Municipality.

“The O re bone re go bone which literally means “You see us and we see you”, is a programme aimed at taking Legislature to the people to strengthen oversight and public participation and to promote accountability and transparency in government. During the campaign, Members of the Legislature will also interact with different provincial departments and their MECs; Mayors, members of the Municipal Public Accounts Committees, ward committees, traditional authorities, farmers and their respective organisations, organised structures and members of the public on issues affecting them,” Luhabe said.

She further said the public is invited to a public meeting that will be held at Mamusa Local Municipality on Thursday.

The meeting will be held as follows;

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Picture: Abandoned Manthe Indoor Centre

BY BAKANG MOKOTO
HOPES of emerging and aspiring athletes to benefit from abandoned half-built Manthe Indoor Centre are slowly waning away after the multi-million project came to a grinding halt. The indoor centre was expected to help the youth to enhance and develop their skills.

Baga-Maidi community said it is in the dark regarding the delay of the project. The indoor centre was built more than three years ago.

“Taung consists of unemployed youth and poverty and we thought having an indoor centre here will nurture the abundance of talents that we having in our mist. Many youth rely on sport to bring social cohesion and fight unemployment, inequality and poverty,” one resident said.

Another resident said: “There is no development in the area. We having a local soccer teams here and we expected them to use the centre for skill developments. However, the project is wedged and no one wants to be accountable. Crime is the order of the day nowadays and that affects our youth.”

North West Department of Sport and Education acting spokesperson, Elias Malindi said the department is still investigating the matter. He said many projects were handed over to their department after sport configuration was incorporated to them from Culture, Arts and Traditional Affairs (CATA) department.

“We are aware of the matter and we can swiftly say the continuity of the project will take place soon. We still need to engage with relevant authorities and see how we resolve it. We cannot say what caused the delay hence investigations,” Malindi said.

The Indoor Centre project came to a grinding hauled after the misunderstanding between the department and contractor. It is alleged that the contractor did not receive payment thus far.

More than 15 locals who were employment at the project lost their jobs in the process too.

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BY BAKANG MOKOTO

A 44 year-old man was arrested in connection with drugs at Maboloka village, Brits on Saturday. North West police spokesperson, Lit Colonel, Pelonomi Makau said the arrest was part of an effort to curb trafficking of drugs.

“A crime intelligence task team led a multi-disciplinary operation conducted on Saturday. The suspect was arrested at his house after being found in possession of dagga estimated at R15 000. 

“The suspect is expected to appear in the Brits Magistrate’s Court on Monday for being inpossession of dagga,” Makau said.

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By KEDIBONE MOLAETSI

MEC for local government and human settlement department, Fenny Gaolaolwe held an engagement session with emerging contractors in Vryburg recently. Gaolaolwe said she is determined to intensify and develop young emerging contractors in the province.

She further said the aim was to hasten the delivery of housing opportunities to qualifying developers as well as to cement partnership with various stakeholders in the housing sector.

“The engagement session was to introduce the new human settlements delivery approach called the bietjie-bietjie maak meer approach in the Villages, Townships and Small Dorpies (VTSD) following a pronouncement by the Premier, Supra Mahumapelo at the human settlements indaba in Rustenburg in March.

“The department is in process of implementing the preferential procurement strategy to capacitate young developers by giving them 50 units to small contractors of levels,” she said.

Gaolaolwe said well-established contractors will be given 70 % of the housing projects whilst emerging developers will get 30 % of the allocation. She added that the approach was intended to further increase the pool of participants in the construction of low cost houses.

“We also want to transform and break the monopoly of big companies in the construction industry. As part of the departmental service delivery plan, the department will put more stringent deadlines on project delivery and see to it that contractors that do not deliver quality houses be penalised. We will continue with our engagement session with contractors in other districts across the province,” she said.

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​BY REGINALD KANYANE 
A DRIVER sustained moderate injuries after he allegedly lost control of his vehicle. Netcare 911 spokesperson, Chris Botha said the incidenr took place on Sunday morning.

“Our paramedics responded to a collision on the Genhaven Road about 20km from Postmansburg. Reports from the scene indicate that the vehicle lost control on a gravel road and overturned. 

“Exact detail to the cause of the crash and preceding events is still speculative and will form part of the police investigation,” Botha said.

He further said paramedics arrived at the scene and found that the vehicle had come to rest on its roof . Botha added that the male driver was found to have sustained moderate injuries. 

“Paramedics stabilised the man at the scene before he was transported to hospital by the provincial ambulance services,” he said.

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