A whopping R3 billion has been spent irregularly in the 2020/21 City of Johannesburg’s financial year in a clear violation of policies and legal prescripts, during the same period.
This was revealed by Johannesburg Mayor Dr Mpho Phalatse during her maiden State of the City Address on Thursday.
“I know it takes time to clean house, but we must move with haste and precision to get the entities functioning within the ambit of the existing legal framework,” said Phalatse.
She said she was deeply concerned as the new mayor that not even one of Joburg’s entities received a clean audit or an unqualified audit opinion during the 2020/2021 financial year.
These entities include among others Joburg Water, City Power, Pikitup, Joburg Parks & Zoo, Johannesburg Roads Agency and Johannesburg Social Housing Company or JOSHCO.
“Our ability to deliver services effectively and efficiently is directly linked to the City’s well-run entities … During the 2020/21 financial year, not even one of Joburg’s entities received a clean audit or an unqualified audit opinion,” said Phalatse.
“We must establish good governance as the gold standard, and in many respects, this must be expressed not only through visible and tangible service delivery, but also through clean audit outcomes from the Auditor-General of South Africa.”
Phalatse said the Multi-Party coalition Government was steadfast in its commit to set the entities on track and ensuring that the residents get value for money.
Phalatse also highlighted the following successes and priorities during her speech:
• Through the city’s partnership with Dial Direct and Discovery Insure, 7524 potholes were filled in just 7 weeks
• Through the Expanded Social Package (ESP), indigent residents will continue to benefit from free basic services, while the debt rehabilitation program has been reinstated to facilitate debt write-offs.
• 1800 JMPD Officers have been deployed into the inner-city to restore law and order and stimulate safe economic activity.
• Two new clinics have opened for use by the public in Bophelong near Soweto, and Florida, and in the next three years, 10 new, modern, robustly sized clinics will be constructed in different parts of the city.
• The City will be hosting an Energy Indaba in the month of May, gathering all relevant and related stakeholders for their collective input into resolving Johannesburg’s energy crisis.
• The establishment of the JTC is aimed at ensuring that Johannesburg becomes a tourist destination of choice on the African continent and that it uses Conventions, Sports, Retail Tourism and Events as key drivers for tourism and economic growth.
• In May, the city will host a Business Collaborative Conference to create an inclusive and sustainable economy.
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