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SACP calls for end to tenders to stop corruption

Auditor-general Terence Nombembe has caused quite a stir in political circles because he has made no bones about thousands of councillors, mayoral committee members and mayors aided by top officials who were simply failing to provide oversight on fiscal management of the country’s 283 municipalities. Not all of them are failing, but there are far too many that are. SACP spokesman Malesela Maleka said the party had studied the general report on local government, which was released on Monday. The party said it would like to highlight that KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and the Western Cape continued to have the highest number of financially unqualified audit opinions.

Significantly, these three provinces were the most highly contested areas in municipal elections with opposition parties not relegated to single digit support percentages as is the case in some of the worst performing provinces. This point is not made by the SACP, but it did state its concern that Limpopo and North West – where the ANC enjoys massive majorities – recorded a reduction of 13 percent and 9 percent respectively in financially unqualified audit opinions. Of the 127 auditees (or 42 percent) that received a disclaimed, adverse or qualified audit opinion, 29 opinions had regressed from the previous year while 63 percent remained disclaimed, adverse or qualified. The party made the point that 10 percent of auditees had received disclaimed or adverse audit opinions for the past six years.

The party came to the conclusion that the legislative and regulatory environment was “for all intents and purposes” anti-development and had fed into a tender boom. “This boom has seen the rise in collusion between officials and companies doing business with the municipalities.” Its answer is to do away with tender procedures. “Services must be delivered through the state. This would mean that municipalities must create capacity to render services like garbage collection, infrastructure roll out, road maintenance, building of houses.” That way the state would be king and all services would be fit for a prince.

Source: www.iol.co.za

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SACP calls for end to tenders to stop corruption

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