INTERVIEW WITH CHERYL REDDY – CIGFARO PRESIDENT

1. Brief introduction of yourself?

During 2018-2021 I was Vice President Technical of CIGFARO and have served on the Board since 2012. Previously, I was the KZN Chair of CIGFARO from October 2012 to October 2014.

I am the Deputy Municipal Manager: Finance Services (Chief Financial Officer) at King Cetshwayo District Municipality. I have been the CFO since April 2011. In addition, I have acted as Municipal Manager for King Cetshwayo DM when the Municipal Manager post was vacant. I have over 19 years’ experience in local government finance, of which over 12 years was at a Senior Manager level covering the following sections: Revenue, Expenditure and Assets, SCM, Budgets and Reporting, Annual Financial Statements, and investments. Prior to joining Local Government, I worked in Private Sector Finance.

I have a passion for education and find myself constantly wanting to expand my knowledge. I am currently studying towards my Doctorate in Business Leadership. I have completed the CPMD programme with WITS University.

2. What it meant to be elected the President of CIGFARO?

The past Board have done a sterling job and we certainly would want to do the same and leave a legacy for the generations that follow.

The Board has started its journey with great zest and enthusiasm, meeting immediately after our annual conference. The plan for the year has been concretized at the recent strategic session that was held early in January 2022. Ours as the new Board is to continue with the baton that has been handed to us but in saying that the strategy and approach may differ as we would like to ensure that CIGFARO is prepared for any “New Normal”.

3. What changes would you like to implement in your term of office?

The passion to be the professional body of choice is high on the agenda and receiving much attention and thus continued engagement with SALGA, National Treasury and the SETA’s. In addition, the engagements with Tertiary Intuitions are also ongoing and CIGFARO continues to share many platforms to engage on topics of mutual interest. New CFO’s will also be appointed when contracts end, and we would want to position ourselves as the institute that can assist COGTA and SALGA with orientation of newly appointed CFO’s and MM’s.

4. Are there any strategies CIGFARO has in place to promote accountability and good governance?

Ethical behaviour and leadership is key for CIGFARO as our members must be seen to be accountable to our code of conduct and we need to take a firm stand when it comes to consequence management however a due process must be followed. In addition, we must continue to be the voice of CFO’s, Finance and Governance Officials as we should be having their best interest at hand and thus advice etc must be readily available to them. The commission of inquiries has negatively impacted on the image and reputation of the public sector finance official, as the question always asked was “what did you as the CFO do when you discovered this problem?”

5. What needs to be done in the broader sense to guarantee municipalities and other government departments are financially sustainable?

As our immediate past President – Mr Peet du Plessis alluded in one of his many interviews, Local government is in the exclusive position of being able to raise its own funds. This opportunity is not afforded, to the same extent, to provincial and national government levels – where the main income streams come from taxation and the raising of funds falls within the domain of a small number of departments.

To ensure sustainability, local government needs to ensure the level of services being delivered is balanced to the economic constraints being faced and the revenue potential for their area. Thus the standard operating procedures at municipalities must be very strict to ensure that checks and balances exist at every critical point of decision making. The billing of correct and accurate information is critical to ensure that the credibility of the municipality is maintained at all times, and this should assist with credit control and recovery of debts.

6. Key message to fellow colleagues?

As we commence our term as the new Board there are many obstacles that one may see, finances, service delivery challenges, COVID 19, etc, however we must remember the words of Nelson Mandela

“Everyone can rise above their circumstances and achieve success if they are dedicated to and passionate about what they do.”

CONTACT DETAILS Physical Address: 28 Fortress Street Kempton Park, Johannesburg, 1620 Postal Address: PO Box 4003, Kempton Park, 1620 Telephone: +27 (11) 394 0879 Email: ceo@cigfaro.co.za Website: www.cigfaro.co.za Social Media: Twitter: @ cigfaro_editor Facebook: @ InstituteMunicipalFinanceOfficers Facebook: Chartered Institute of Government Finance, Audit and Risk Officers Instagram: CIGFARO LinkedIn: CIGFARO