Jonathan Paoli
Gauteng finance and economic development MEC Lebogang Maile has cautiously praised the performance of the province’s metros, but believes that more needs to be done to ensure all-round improvement.
Maile briefed the media at the Gauteng legislature on Thursday on the audit outcomes of municipalities across the province during the 2022/2023 financial year.
In relation to performance reports, Maile said the quality of submitted performance reports improved from 50% to 54% and residents were engaged during public participation sessions in setting priorities.
He said that in some instances the related performance targets were then either revised or not prioritised, resulting in communities not receiving the desired services.
By not achieving targets, this further affected the adequacy of basic services delivered to communities.
Maile said that despite the inclusion of the National Treasury’s common performance indicators in the performance reports, greater urgency was required from accounting officers, mayors and MMCs to address service delivery challenges.
Internal audit units and audit committees should intensify their quarterly assessment of performance information, and council oversight committees should hold executive leadership accountable for the implementation of service delivery plans.
Maile confirmed that the intervention envisioned by the provincial government was not dependent on the political composition of metros, in light of the recent inter-party battles in Tshwane, Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni.
“We are not in control of the political situation [and] if the parties decide to fight each other we are not in control of that, but we are definitely focusing on the job. It must be understood the provincial government doesn’t run municipalities, we don’t want to run municipalities,” he said.
The MEC indicated that these reports underscored the need for improved governance and management practices to enhance service delivery and financial accountability in Gauteng’s municipalities.
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