SALGA: COVID-19 Hits Hard Ailing Municipalities Already in ‘ICU’

The outbreak of the novel Corona virus will impact on municipalities’ revenue collection.

Senior Correspondent LUCAS LEDWABA asked SA Local Government Authorities [SALGA] president Thembi Nkadimeng what this means for the already ailing local government sector.

Inside Metros: President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a R20 billion stimulus package for municipalities in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak and lockdown. There’s concern that already many municipalities have performed badly in handling their finances as alluded to by the AG’s audit reports and cannot be trusted with the responsibility of handling these funds. How is SALGA planning to ensure these funds are not wasted and lost to corruption and mismanagement?

Thembi Nkadimeng: SALGA believes in prudence and accountability in the management of public financial resources and will continue to impress this upon its members. Furthermore, in instances where there is corruption and mismanagement, consequence management must be exercised as outlined in the