South Africa: Joint Delegation Concludes Oversight with Calls for Stronger Cooperation between Province and Municipalities

The joint parliamentary oversight delegation, which was engaging with underperforming municipalities in the Eastern Cape this week, today called for stronger cooperation between municipalities and provincial departments in the province to ensure effective support, oversight and service delivery.

Concluding a week-long engagement with 19 underperforming municipalities, the delegation raised concern about the continuing disconnect between provincial and municipal spheres of government. It emphasised that cooperative governance is a constitutional obligation and that provincial departments must provide timely and targeted intervention where municipalities are underperforming.

The delegation identified widespread weaknesses across Eastern Cape municipalities. Key among them were many municipalities’ dependence on consultants without any transfer of skills, along with poor financial management and persistent unauthorised and irregular expenditure. Other common challenges shared among the municipalities included leadership instability, a lack of much-needed technical skills and underspending on infrastructure maintenance, all of which continue to undermine service delivery. The delegation further noted poor revenue collection, which has an impact on municipalities’ financial sustainability, and limited consequence management.

It was observed that several municipalities continue to receive audit disclaimers year after year, despite having adopted detailed improvement plans. This, the delegation said, reflects weak leadership, poor accountability and a lack of consequence management. The delegation was of the view that many of the challenges identified could have been avoided if officials had carried out their responsibilities effectively. The Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) must be used as a tool to enforce accountability and ensure that municipal councils, managers and executives fulfil their statutory and financial responsibilities. Persistent audit failures, the delegation noted, point to a deeper governance crisis that demands decisive corrective action.

The delegation called for stronger political and administrative will to act decisively on reported irregularities and misconduct. Members warned that the reluctance to confront wrongdoing undermines public confidence and perpetuates cycles of poor governance. Ms Dikeledi Direko, a member of the delegation who chaired the sessions, said, “Many of the failures we see are not because people do not know what to do, but because there is no willingness to confront misconduct. This must change.”

The delegation urged the Office of the Auditor-General to strengthen its early-warning systems by engaging with municipalities proactively throughout the financial year, rather than only at its conclusion. Members noted that proactive engagement would enable quicker responses to emerging financial and performance risks. “We need timely systems of reporting and investigation. Action must start early so that accountability follows quickly,” said Ms Direko.

Members also acknowledged that while some municipalities have begun to show progress, the overall pace of improvement remains too slow. “We have seen municipalities that are trying, but the pace of change is too slow,” said Ms Direko. “Municipal leadership must act decisively to implement what has been raised during these sessions.” The delegation urged municipal leaders to take pride and ownership of their institutions. Leaders were urged to prioritise the maintenance of infrastructure and planning and restore credibility through tangible improvements in communities.

Along with representatives from the national and provincial departments of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, the Eastern Cape Provincial Treasury, the Office of the Auditor-General, and the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature’s committees on public accounts and COGTA, who attended proceedings, the delegation reaffirmed the need to restore financial discipline, strengthen institutional capacity and improve consequence management across all municipalities in the province. “The task before us is not easy, but it is necessary,” said Ms Direko. “Accountability begins with leadership that acts.”

The delegation has directed the MECs of Finance and COGTA to closely monitor council decisions, ensure investigations into maladministration are completed, and intervene decisively when municipal leaders and councils fail to act. Detailed reports, including timelines and measurable targets for addressing the issues raised this week, must be submitted to Parliament and the provincial legislature.

Parliament will continue to monitor developments in the Eastern Cape municipalities.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Republic of South Africa: The Parliament.