IS MAFUBE HARMFUL TO THE COMMUNITY?

The recently released 2024/5 Auditor-General report makes it clear that, despite the intervention of the provincial authorities and millions spent at the Mafube Municipality, the management and municipal council are still making no progress in terms of administration, financial discipline and accountability. Service delivery to the community has, according to the AG report, deteriorated further.

The Mayor of Mafube, councillor Thloare Motsoeneng* proudly announced that Mafube Local Municipality (MLM) presented the 2024/5 financial statements on time to the Auditor-General’s office, before the legal deadline. For as long as 10 years, MPM has failed to meet this obligation.

Of course, consultants were appointed at high cost (more than R5 million) to prepare the statements – a function for which the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is responsible. According to National Treasury guidelines, an agreement must be entered into with consultants for the transfer of skills to enable the municipal management to prepare statements themselves and submit them to the AG's office before the legally stipulated deadline.

At a meeting with MBF on 18 September last year, the current Municipal Manager (MM), Jemima Selepyane, confirmed this Treasury directive, but repeated requests to provide details of the agreement to MBF, continue to be ignored by both the MM and the consultants involved.

The 2024/5 AG Report highlighted a series of concerns, including:

• Unauthorised, irregular, wasteful and fruitless expenditure remains unacceptably high, with no consequences management being applied;

• Only 15% of service delivery targets have been achieved (water, sewerage, refuse removal etc);

• More than 70% of expensive treated water is lost due to poor management and infrastructure that is not maintained;

• Low collection rates, faulty systems and bills not being delivered to consumers; and

• Irregular awarding of tenders

*The status of Councillor Thloare Motsoeneng as Mayor of Mafube is unknown at the time of this statement. Rumours abound that he was to be removed from office due to his continued opposition to the provincial political leadership.