GAUTENG SCOPA FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT ISSUES @KASIBCNEWS

GAUTENG SCOPA FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT ISSUES @KASIBCNEWS 

Yesterday (Tuesday, 01 October 2024), the Gauteng Provincial Legislature's Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA), chaired by Honourable John Moodey, convened for its annual breakaway session to review critical audit outcomes and public financial management practices within the Gauteng Provincial Government. 

The session focused on ensuring transparency, accountability, and effective oversight of government expenditure, with presentations from several key stakeholders.

The Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) presented audit findings for the 2023/24 financial year, revealing significant levels of irregular expenditure across departments such as Human Settlements, Health and Wellness; and Roads and Transport. 

Human Settlements alone recorded R3.919 billion in irregular expenditure, much of it due to non-compliance with procurement regulations and weak internal controls. 

The Committee expressed concern over unfinished housing projects, which continue to burden the department and delay access to adequate housing for many residents.

SCOPA also highlighted infrastructure delays, particularly in healthcare and education.

Projects like the Mayibuye Clinic remain incomplete, while essential services are disrupted due to poor project management and planning.

A key focus of yesterday’s session was the ongoing fight against corruption. 

The Premier’s Forensic Audit revealed a pattern of procurement irregularities and maladministration across various departments. SCOPA stressed the importance of swift action to recover misappropriated funds and implement consequence management to hold officials accountable.

The Office of the Premier additionally briefed SCOPA on the implementation of lifestyle audits, extending beyond MECs to include senior management and supply chain management (SCM) staff across provincial departments. 

SCOPA welcomed this initiative as a critical step towards promoting transparency and ethical governance.

SCOPA’s oversight will focus on monitoring delayed infrastructure projects, particularly in healthcare and housing, to ensure timely completion. Additionally, SCOPA will continue to support the Premier’s Office in rolling out lifestyle audits to senior management and SCM staff as part of its commitment to fighting corruption and promoting accountability.

SCOPA reaffirms its dedication to ensuring transparent public financial management and effective use of public funds for the benefit of all Gauteng residents. 

working on recommendations to individual government departments and entities, aimed at ensuring accountable and transparent service delivery in the province. 

The Committee is working on recommendations to individual government departments and entities, aimed at ensuring accountable and transparent service delivery in the province. 

 

ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON EFF LEADER IN GAUTENG @KASIBCNEWS

ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON EFF LEADER IN GAUTENG @KASIBCNEWS 

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) strongly condemns the attempted assassination of our Gauteng Chairperson, Commissar Nkululeko Dunga, which took place in the early hours of this morning. This attack on his life occurred at his home, where his family, including his partner, two children and elderly grandmother, were present.

At approximately 12am, suspicious footsteps were heard on the roof, prompting Commissar Dunga’s son to request a security check. By 2am, security personnel, while conducting his rounds, were ambushed and shot at by armed intruders who had positioned themselves on the roof. 

The security guard returned fire, engaging with at least three shooters before eight heavily armed assailants fled the scene by jumping over the wall. For two hours, these men lay in wait, ready to carry out what was clearly a coordinated and premeditated attempt on the life of a revolutionary leader.

Fortunately, no one’s life was taken in this terrifying ordeal, but the gravity of this ambush cannot be understated. This was a deliberate, well-planned attempt on the life of one of our most prominent leaders in the Gauteng Province. 

The police responded professionally, arriving promptly to investigate the scene, and remained active from until 10 am. Bullet holes were identified, forensic teams gathered evidence, and fingerprints were collected.

While we commend the police for their diligence in this case, it is imperative to

acknowledge the broader context of escalating political violence and lawlessness in South Africa. This assassination attempt on Commissar Dunga is part of a disturbing

and growing trend of violence targeting political figures and whistleblowers across the country. 

The rising lawlessness and the ease with which guns for hire are deployed in

these attacks reflect the state’s failure to protect its citizens. With the murders of

whistleblower Babita Deokoran and former West Rand District Muncipality Refentse

Mangope, political violence is becoming alarmingly normalised.

The EFF calls for an urgent and thorough investigation into this attempted

assassination. A case has been opened at Mondeor Police Station under case number

35/10/2024, and we demand that the perpetrators be brought to justice swiftly. 

The EFF will not be intimidated. We stand firmly behind our Gauteng Chairperson, his

family, and every fighter who continues to speak truth to power in the face of grave danger.

 

Prisoners Electric Shocking by Wardress @KASIBCNEWS

Prisoners Electric Shocking by Wardress @KASIBCNEWS 

SAPOHR is Angered, Shocked and Outraged about the death of a Female Prisoner at Jhb a Female Prison, through Electric Shocking by Wardress

The South African PRISONERS ORGANISATION FOR HUMAN RIGHTS (SAPOHR), is fuming after we learned of the sudden death of Female Prisoner, /Revo/ the .late Ayanda Jandisa Mkhize at the hands of those who were entrusted with the official duties to safe guard her protect and keep her , at Jhb Female Prison, whilst she serve her duties to the community she violated, says Golden Miles Bhudu, National spokesperson of SAPOHR

SAPOHR was contacted by a family member an hour ago via a Whats-Up note (find attached),and was informed of this tragic incident, where the late Ms. Ayanda Jandisa Mkhize, who was found with a cellular phone during a random strip search, and was isolated from the rest of her fellow inmates, taken to an isolated spot and shocked with Electric Wires as a form of torture to confess where, and how and who smuggled the cell phone for her into the Prison. 

This happened according to the VOICE NOTE, that she was the ONLY one that had to go through that ordeal that cost her, her ONLY LIFE 

After the torture the late fell critically ill whereas she was as FIT as a FIDDLE.

After a few days she had to be rushed to BARA Hospital and was not admitted regardless of symptoms of a gravely ill person.

A few days later she was was carried out of the communal cell with a stretcher and rushed to BARA, again, where she succumbed.

We are further informed that that fellow inmates informed the family, and the late Mothers sister, went to BARA Hospital and was met with the sad news that Ms. Ayanda Jandisa Mkhize passed on 

SAPOHR is furthermore informed that the JHB PRISON haven't until now, as I release this statement official informed the BEREAVED FAMILY, and that the Staff at BARA, has also not COOPERATED, and instead sent her from pillar to post.

 SAPOHR has advised the kin to report this tragic incident, first thing on the morning to the nearest Police station to BARA Hospital.BLIKSEM 

SAPOHR has sent the attached Voice Note rival, from the office of the Min & Dep. Min. Nat, Reg.Area Commissioner, JICS, SAHRC, the office of the RSA President via its Spokesperson Vincent Magwana.

We had called on the Min. PJ Groenewald' his Deputy Lindiwe Nhsalininhsali and the Nat. Commissioner to immediately intervene by calling the Area Commissioner of JHB, Mr. Lucky Mathiba, to confirm or deny the allegations.

This will only confirm that the Minister and his colleagues aren't going to be regarded as "MEDEPLIGTIGES - ACCOMPLICE'S

SAPOHR demands that those culprits be immediately rounded up, arrested, charged, and brought Infront of our Courts so that they bring their side of the story and if found guilty be sentence to Prison terms that will suit the Crime and sent to Prison so that they can also taste a bit of their OWN MEDICINE

 

Tswaing Municipality placed under Section 139(5) Provincial Administration @KASIBCNEWS

Tswaing Municipality placed under Section 139(5) Provincial Administration @KASIBCNEWS 

The ANC-run Tswaing Municipality completely disregards being placed under Section 139(5) Provincial Administration for a financial recovery process since August 2021.

The intervention was to restore good financial management and governance practices towards improving service delivery to residents; however, continuous cadre deployment and a complete indifference to due processes further contribute to the financial distress and imminent collapse of the municipality.

During a council meeting held yesterday in Tswaing Local Municipality, ANC councillors once again abused their majority by appointing former ANC Speaker and current Acting Corporate Services Director, Mr. Boorman Phutiagae, as the new acting Municipal Manager (MM), despite objections raised by DA Councillors.

Mr. Phutiagae will be the fourth acting MM in Tswaing since the appointed MM, Mr. Deon Mere, was suspended in April 2024, pending an investigation into his qualifications.

Thabo Meerken was then appointed as acting MM; however, Mr. Meerken resigned from the position within two weeks of his appointment.

Despite strong opposition from the DA, the ANC councillors appointed Mr. Mogale Morwe as acting MM, again, without verifying his qualifications.

In June 2024, the MEC of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), Mr. Oageng Molapisi, appointed Mr. FT Mabokela, whose three-month acting period came to an end on 17 September 2024.

On 13 September 2024, the Mayor, Mrs. Norah Mahlangu, wrote to MEC Molapisi, requesting him to appoint a new acting MM to Tswaing, but, the MEC never responded, leaving Tswaing without a MM.

The DA is deeply concerned about the total disregard for due process. The impending collapse of Tswaing Municipality lies totally at the feet of the ANC councillors, the Speaker, the Mayor, and the MEC of COGTA.

We will write to the DA Spokesperson on COGTA in the North West Provincial Legislature, Mr. CJ Steyl, requesting him to put pressure on the MEC to release the secondment of the acting MM in Tswaing.

 The DA will not stand by watching while the residents of Tswaing suffer even further under the ANC cadre deployment strategy

 

MINISTER STEENHUISEN’S 100 DAYS FAILURE @KASIBCNEWS

MINISTER STEENHUISEN’S 100 DAYS FAILURE @KASIBCNEWS 

The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) condemns the flagrant incompetence and corruption of Democratic Alliance’s (DA) John Steenhuisen, the Minister of Agriculture, who, within the first 100 days of holding office, has failed to appoint qualified staff. 

He continues to cling onto his cadre deployments—appointments of his unqualified cronies and white supremacists—while trying to bend the rules to push them through. Steenhuisen's request for a deviation from the minimum appointment requirements for his candidates shows his blatant disregard for the rules that govern public office appointments. His nominations of Annette Steyn, Una Christians, Charity McCord, and Mr. Kruger are an insult to the hardworking and qualified South Africans who are being overlooked in favour of Steenhuisen’s politically connected friends. 

Three of these four candidates only possess matric certificates and do not meet the minimum academic qualifications required for the positions they have been nominated for, with the last one not having enough experience for their role.

Steenhuisen's actions demonstrate a complete disregard for governance and a prioritisation of personal loyalty over merit. 

This is nothing more than blatant cadre deployment, something Steenhuisen and his party hypocritically condemn in public while practicing behind closed doors. His insistence on appointing these people is the very reason for the delay in finalising appointments and, consequently, the delay in worker’s salaries, and the work of the department and government at large.

Furthermore, Steenhuisen has displayed his true racist colours by hiring Roman Cabanac, notorious for his white supremacist views, as his head of staff. It is only due to public outrage and backlash that Steenhuisen was forced to ask Cabanac to resign. 

However, Cabanac is now refusing to step down, rightly pointing out that Steenhuisen  was fully aware of his racist background before hiring him. This demonstrates not only Steenhuisen’s poor judgment but also his complicity in fostering white supremacists and racist individuals in government, and his lack of commitment entirely to his job and responsibilities.

Steenhuisen is not only failing his staff by withholding their salaries but is also holding  the country hostage by delaying government operations to satisfy his own political agenda.

The EFF will continue to expose and fight against the corrupt practices of Steenhuisen  and all those who seek to undermine the functioning of government for their personal  gain. We demand that he be held accountable for his incompetence, his racist appointments, and the failure of his leadership in the Department of Agriculture.

GAUTENG E-TOLL DEBT INSTALLMENT R3.8 BILLION @KASIBCNEWS

GAUTENG E-TOLL DEBT INSTALLMENT R3.8 BILLION @KASIBCNEWS 

In his 2022 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement, the Minister of Finance, Honourable Enoch Godongwana made the following policy pronouncement on the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project popularly known as E-Toll: “to resolve the funding impasse the Gauteng provincial government has agreed to contribute 30 per cent to settling SANRAL’s debt and interest obligations, while national government covers 70 per cent”.

In the Budget Speech in March this year, Gauteng Provincial Treasury announced that as part of the province’s arrangements to service the debt, a provision for honouring this commitment has been pencilled into the 2024 fiscal framework.

This was followed by the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between the Gauteng Provincial Government and the National Treasury for the province to honour the debt and the maintenance portion for the E-Toll debt. The obligation to service this debt has necessitated the implementation of a host of reforms and measures to maintain a healthy fiscal environment that will be both sustainable and manageable in the long term.

Today, the Gauteng Provincial Government is starting the process to service the historical debt of R12.9 billion in five equal annual instalments at government 5-year interest rate. The first instalment that we are paying today amounts to R3.8 billion, consisting of R3.2 billion (historical debt) and the maintenance portion of R546 million. The implications of the E-Toll debt require the provincial government to manage finances in a prudent manner whilst carefully balancing the service delivery needs of the citizens.

The fiscal trajectory of Gauteng Provincial Government must be addressed through a combination of active debt management strategies and spending restraint that improves the primary fiscal balance and elimination of wastage and leakages in the system. The province will need to allocate a substantial amount of funds each year for the next five years to meet the repayment obligations.

Therefore, to address these fiscal challenges, Gauteng Provincial Treasury is working with revenue-collecting departments to identify alternative sources of revenue. This aims to ensure that frontline services remain uncompromised, prioritising programmes that foster growth, safeguarding essential social services for vulnerable members of society, maintaining the provision of basic services in the province.

Gauteng Provincial Treasury has a five-year budget approach that will facilitate provincial delivery based on the Medium-Term Development Plan for the 7th Administration. 

The five year budget approach will focus on introducing and implementing immediate, short-term, and medium-term budget reforms over the 2025 MTEF. This include maintaining fiscal discipline and credibility, and impactful service delivery.

Given the maintenance of fiscal discipline, the province will prioritize the reprioritisation of budgets, identification of efficiency gains, and making of trade-offs to fund the government priorities. Fiscal discipline requires that governments maintain fiscal positions that are consistent with macroeconomic stability and sustained economic growth.

Furthermore, provincial departments and entities must explore alternative sources of funding to supplement the existing constrained revenue streams and thus enhance fiscal sustainability over the long-term. Partnerships with private sector, donor funding, developmental finance are among the possible alternative funding sources.

The provincial government also views Public Private Partnerships as a key vehicle to not

only deliver infrastructure but for its ability to stimulate the economy, create jobs and deliver projects within cost, time and quality whilst providing the upfront funding for these projects. Therefore, PPPs with revenue raising potential will be prioritised.

As the MEC of Finance and Economic Development, I have emphasised to Gauteng

Provincial Treasury that any approach to the market for funding should be premised on

securing funding to finance strategic infrastructure projects, which have sound economic benefits to the province, create jobs, raise revenue and potentially provide an avenue to pay back the E-Toll debt. This approach is seen as a more sustainable and will prove far more beneficial to the citizens of Gauteng, with far more positive spin-offs than borrowing to pay a debt of E-Toll.

The 2025 Budget will see a conclusion of the national fiscal consolidation strategy

announced in the national 2020 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), with

debt‐stabilising primary surplus achieved in 2025/26, a reduction in the fiscal deficit to

pre‐COVID levels and a stabilisation of debts service costs as a percentage of revenue.

Gauteng Provincial Treasury is therefore confident that through the measures and reforms mentioned above, the province will be able to service the E-Toll debt, simultaneously providing much needed services to the citizens of Gauteng, whilst reaping the benefits of the spinoffs of proposed economic infrastructure initiatives.

It is in this context that we would like to assure residents of Gauteng that we will not

compromise our priorities in social services such as health and education.

 

COGTA COMMITTEE CALLS FOR STABILITY FOLLOWING REMOVAL OF TSHWANE MAYOR @KASIBCNEWS

COGTA COMMITTEE CALLS FOR STABILITY FOLLOWING REMOVAL OF TSHWANE MAYOR @KASIBCNEWS

The Portfolio Committee on Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), chaired by Hon. Mzi Khumalo, has taken note of the removal of the Tshwane Mayor and calls for urgent action to ensure stability in the City of Tshwane during this transitional period.

As the oversight body responsible for promoting good governance, the Portfolio Committee urges the Department of CoGTA. to take immediate steps to ensure that the upcoming mayoral election is conducted within the 14-day legal timeframe and that  all necessary measures are in place to maintain municipal operations without disruption. The Department must play a proactive role in supporting the City’s governance structures during this period of change.

Chairperson Khumalo emphasized that it is critical for the Department to ensure there are no delays in service delivery, to strengthen internal governance, and to maintain stability in collaboration with local leadership and stakeholders. "The Department must act swiftly to prevent any governance voids and guarantee that essential services to residents remain unaffected," said Hon. Khumalo.

The Portfolio Committee will remain engaged with the Department and other provincial bodies to ensure that the transition is seamless, and processes are handled with transparency and efficiency, ensuring that Tshwane’s residents are prioritized throughout this period.