Cadre deployment to blame for municipal failure

Sapa | 24 July, 2012 13:35 Auditor General, Terence Nombembe, during the press conference in which he released the Municipal audit report in the presence of Ministers: Colins Chabane, Pravin Gordan and Richard Baloyi, at the Gordon Institute in Sandton. Image by: Sydney Seshibedi The Federation of Unions of SA (Fedusa) has blamed the poor performance of municipalities on cadre deployment. "These statistics again underline the negative effects of cadre deployment in local government," Fedusa general secretary Dennis George said on Tuesday. "Officials like mayors and councillors should be appointed on merit and proven track-records, and not on political affiliation," he said. Fedusa was reacting to the financial report on local government released by Auditor-General (AG) Terence Nombembe. Nombembe's report revealed on Monday that only five percent of municipalities had obtained clean audits for the financial year of 2010/2011. None of the metros received clean audits and 13 percent of the municipalities did not submit financial statements in time for auditing. Procurement to the value of R3.5 billion could not be audited because municipalities had not provided the required information or documentation. In 46 percent of the audited municipalities, contracts were awarded to employees, councillors, and other state officials. A total of 54 municipalities collectively underspent their budgets by R3.7bn. "The fact that only five percent of municipalities received clean audits for the 2010-2011 period, signals a systematic demise of service delivery to our citizens," said George. He said there was a clear skills crisis in local government, which could be addressed through interaction with the local government sector education training authority (Seta). "We have the right to the sound administration of municipalities, so that our hard-earned taxes are put to optimal use," George said. The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) has called for a national debate on a turn-around strategy for municipalities across the country. Cosatu said the AG's report painted a grim picture of incompetence, maladministration and the waste of public money. RELATED NEWS Cosatu calls for national debate on municipalities AG red-flags 95% of municipalities Reality check on services Municipal failure must make leaders turn in their graves Times Live Comments by Sonny When an institution of the State is rotten to the core and run on corruption, then, there can only be one outcome - DISASTER! That seems to be the state in Government and all the way down to Municipalities. Cadre deployment is a social cancer and not a solution. It has taken the ANC run Government 18 YEARS PLUS to miss the point! A 'Fat Cat Society' will implode before it succeeds. The main topic on the daily agenda should be the care of the poor & needy and the education and employment of the Youth. SERVICE DELIVERY AND AN ANTI-CORRUPTION DRIVE SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE ORDER OF THE DAY!