/ MEDIA STATEMENT / The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

In response to the Auditor-General’s (AG) Report, AfriForum welcomed the audit improvements in some municipalities, but warns communities that the AG’s Report only has relevance to the accuracy of the reporting of finances and performance of municipalities and not to good management.
 
“The AG Report does not necessarily indicate the realities at grassroots level. The AG does not conduct a survey of the number of potholes, or how often residents go without electricity, or how seldom municipal officials answer phones or letters. Municipalities can report their finances and performance accurately to the AG, but it’s not an indication as to how well or bad a town or city is managed. They can accurately report how bad their finances are and how bad they perform and still get an unqualified audit,” Ivan Herselman, Manager of Community Portfolios at AfriForum said.
 
AfriForum believes that the enforcing of accountability with the municipal management and especially politicians is the only way in which municipalities can be directed back on track.  
 
“Municipal officials should be at risk of losing their jobs if they do not perform accordingly. Mayors and Municipal Councils get away with murder. They dictate plans that are impractical and impossible to implement in an attempt to keep their voters happy, even if it’s unsustainable in the long term,” Herselman added.
 
The Service Delivery and Budget Plan Project AfriForum is to launch on Monday, 4 August 2014 is a good example of actions that communities can take to ensure that the plans of their municipalities are executed accurately.
 
Join AfriForum. SMS the name of your town to 32531 (R1).