Parliament to probe failing Eastern Cape municipalities in joint oversight visit

By Thapelo Molefe

Parliament’s committees on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) and the Auditor-General will embark on a week-long oversight visit to the Eastern Cape from next week Monday to Friday, targeting municipalities with persistent governance and financial failures.

“This will be the fourth province where the joint oversight delegation from Parliament will collaborate with the provincial legislature and engage with municipalities that have poor audit outcomes and governance challenges,” the committees said on Thursday.

The oversight comes after years of concern about service delivery failures in Eastern Cape municipalities. Many of the province’s municipalities, including two metros – Nelson Mandela Bay and Buffalo City – have long been plagued by weak financial management, poor infrastructure maintenance, and political instability.

Municipalities such as Makana in Makhanda have faced legal battles over water supply failures, while Enoch Mgijima became infamous for the multimillion-rand failed Lesseyton Sports Field project.

The committees