MNQUMA LOCAL MUNICIPALITY Achieves the only clean audit for the Amathole District

The Mnquma Local Municipality achieved an outstanding accomplishment by attaining the only clean audit out of the five local municipalities under the Amathole District. This announcement was made by the office of the Provincial Treasury during day two of the Municipality Strategic Planning Session, in February 2023. The municipality received an award from the Premier of the Eastern Cape, Oscar Mabuyane, and from the office of the Auditor-General of South Africa.

Executive Mayor Cllr Tunyiswa ManxilaNkamisa said she was very proud of the clean audit achievement, adding that it has earned the Mnquma Council recognition among other municipalities in South Africa. “It is testimony to the capable political and administrative leadership that you have witnessed in our municipality and puts us at an

advantage to do more to improve the lives of the people of Mnquma,” said the Mayor.

The clean audit was achieved during the first term of the appointment of the Municipal Manager, Mr Silumko Mahlasela. He explained that the clean audit was a target set by the management team and that achieving it is testimony of good governance and functional systems within a local government sphere.

When elaborating he said, “It lays fertile ground to attract investment into the municipality because it boosts investor confidence. When coming into office we introduced several belt-tightening measures to stabilise the environment within the municipality.” He added that these included a skills and qualifications audit, risk-mitigating measures, and a complete overhaul of their revenuegenerating systems. He said the focus now shifts towards maintaining the clean audit to accelerate their service delivery mandate.

Despite the municipality’s recent achievement of a clean audit, there are still challenges to be addressed. Treasury revealed that residents and businesses in Mnquma owe the municipality a staggering R160 million in unpaid rates and services, with the majority of R104 million of this balance being residential debt.

Treasury did however recognise the municipality’s compliance with the mandatory 30-day period for paying service providers, despite the challenges posed by the residents owing money to the municipality.

Mnquma’s 63-member Council and the Administration both agreed to enhance its revenue collection campaign to recoup the debt which will be used to accelerate the rollout of basic service delivery for the benefit of the residents. Specifically, the municipality is offering a 50 percent discount to fully settle the debt owed.

In addition to this initiative, the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) also made presentations about the support they are offering to help create functioning and efficient local government institutions. With a focus on promoting transparency, accountability, and good governance, these presentations were aimed at equipping local government institutions with the tools and resources they need to better serve their communities. As such, SALGA and CoGTA‘s support represents a significant step in strengthening the capacity and effectiveness of local government institutions in Mnquma and beyond.

The municipality’s achievement is not only a testament to the hard work and dedication of the municipal officials but also sets an inspiring example for other municipalities in the country.