AG warns Gauteng municipalities against resetting accountability after elections

By Charmaine Ndlela

The Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) has warned Gauteng municipalities not to allow the upcoming local government elections to derail financial accountability, saying audit action plans, financial recovery plans and consequence management must continue despite changes in political leadership.

AGSA Gauteng business unit leader Fhumulani Rabonda said the province could not afford to see progress in municipal financial management disappear when new councils take office.

“The progress made during the current administration, even where it has been modest or uneven, must not be allowed to reset after the election,” Rabonda said.

“Local government cannot operate on five-year cycles of starting again. Communities do not experience service delivery in electoral cycles. They experience service delivery in real time.”

Rabonda was speaking at the Gauteng Municipal Financial Accountability and Audit Readiness Pledge Signing Ceremony at the Brixton Multi-Purpose Centre in Johannesburg on Tuesday, where Gauteng Co-operative Governance and Traditional