NATIONAL auditor- general Terence Nombembe has found councillors in at least 11 Eastern Cape councils illegally interfered with the municipal administration .
The troubled councils where politicians overstepped their boundaries include BCM, Nelson Mandela Bay, OR Tambo , Port St Johns, Ngqushwa and KSD.
Others troubled by meddling politicians are Mbizana, Mhlontlo, Ntabankulu, Mbhashe and Senqu.
Political infighting in ANC- led councils affected the running of 10 municipalities in the province.
In most cases these were the same ones where councillors interfered in administration.
The AG’s report showed that of the province’s 45 municipalities, 29% were fraught with infighting in the councils and council interference in administration duties.
On his visit to the province this week, Nombembe told provincial politicians that councillors’ lack of skills and political will was a recipe for local government disaster.
“We have made up our mind that c ouncillors, most of whom lack capacity, are the real cause of collapse of local government in South Africa and in particular the Eastern Cape.
“We cannot only talk about administration while the real perpetrators of this instability go scot-free,” said the AG on Wednesday.
According to Nombembe’s latest audit , political infighting and administration interference contributed to dismal audit outcomes in five of the province’s municipalities.
The municipalities of Ngqushwa, KSD, OR Tambo District and Lukhanji in Queenstown all earned disclaimers from Nombembe for 2011-12 . With the exception of Lukhanji, which faces only infighting, all the others are crippled by infighting and politicians interfering in administrative duties.
Mbizana Municipality, a council dubbed one of the “hotspots” by the provincial ANC and by local government MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane, earned an adverse audit opinion from Nombembe.
Mbizana is fraught with both interference and infighting , according to the AG’s report.
An adverse audit opinion is given when the information supplied to the AG is materially incorrect, unreliable, inaccurate and does not assist in assessing the auditee’s financial position.
A disclaimer is issued when the auditor is unable to form, and consequently refuses to present an opinion on the financial statements. This happens when the auditor is unable to complete the work .
The gloom and despair of Nombembe’s report lifted slightly with regard to only three municipalities.
“Due to strong administrative leadership and established control environments, political instability and interference at Mnquma, Mbhashe and Senqu, did not impact on their audit outcomes,” Nombembe said.
The AG said an inappropriate alignment of administration to political factions was one of the root causes of poor audit outcomes. —
AG slams meddling politicians
The troubled councils where politicians overstepped their boundaries include BCM, Nelson Mandela Bay, OR Tambo , Port St Johns, Ngqushwa and KSD.
Others troubled by meddling politicians are Mbizana, Mhlontlo, Ntabankulu, Mbhashe and Senqu.
Political infighting in ANC- led councils affected the running of 10 municipalities in the province.
In most cases these were the same ones where councillors interfered in administration.
The AG’s report showed that of the province’s 45 municipalities, 29% were fraught with infighting in the councils and council interference in administration duties.
On his visit to the province this week, Nombembe told provincial politicians that councillors’ lack of skills and political will was a recipe for local government disaster.
“We have made up our mind that c ouncillors, most of whom lack capacity, are the real cause of collapse of local government in South Africa and in particular the Eastern Cape.
“We cannot only talk about administration while the real perpetrators of this instability go scot-free,” said the AG on Wednesday.
According to Nombembe’s latest audit , political infighting and administration interference contributed to dismal audit outcomes in five of the province’s municipalities.
The municipalities of Ngqushwa, KSD, OR Tambo District and Lukhanji in Queenstown all earned disclaimers from Nombembe for 2011-12 . With the exception of Lukhanji, which faces only infighting, all the others are crippled by infighting and politicians interfering in administrative duties.
Mbizana Municipality, a council dubbed one of the “hotspots” by the provincial ANC and by local government MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane, earned an adverse audit opinion from Nombembe.
Mbizana is fraught with both interference and infighting , according to the AG’s report.
An adverse audit opinion is given when the information supplied to the AG is materially incorrect, unreliable, inaccurate and does not assist in assessing the auditee’s financial position.
A disclaimer is issued when the auditor is unable to form, and consequently refuses to present an opinion on the financial statements. This happens when the auditor is unable to complete the work .
The gloom and despair of Nombembe’s report lifted slightly with regard to only three municipalities.
“Due to strong administrative leadership and established control environments, political instability and interference at Mnquma, Mbhashe and Senqu, did not impact on their audit outcomes,” Nombembe said.
The AG said an inappropriate alignment of administration to political factions was one of the root causes of poor audit outcomes. —
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