The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) welcomes the Auditor-General (AG)’s issuing a Certificate of Debt for R4.6 million against the Municipal Manager of Ngaka Modiri Municipality in the North West, Mr. Allan Losaba. This is in response to the municipality being found to have substantially overpaid for water tankers in 2019 and the specific failure of the Municipal Manager to recover these funds despite repeated commitments to do so after findings by the AG.
The Federation strongly supported the Auditing Amendment Act passed by the 5th Parliament enabling the AG to hold offending politicians, management and other persons found wanting when it comes to managing public funds within the parameters of the Public and Municipal Finance Management Acts. This includes empowering the AG to issue Certificates of Debt for corruption or wasteful expenditure against such parties.
Given the damage done by the decade of state capture and corruption and the still rampant culture of tenderpreneurship across many state institutions, in particular municipalities and State-Owned Enterprises, such a bold and decisive move by government led by the African National Congress was necessary and long overdue.
Whilst welcoming this positive move by the AG, it is critical that Ngaka Modiri Municipality be held accountable for this COD’s enforcement and it not simply be blue ticked. Similarly, the AG must wield this sjambok across the many other delinquent politicians, municipal and SOE managers, amongst others, who have treated the public’s hard-earned taxes as their personal slush funds.
Workers for far too long have paid the price for the cancer of corruption in the form of lost wages, pension, medical and other contributions; retrenchments, deteriorating public and municipal services, weak economic growth and high unemployment. If we are to win the war against corruption in the state, then the AG as well as the organs of law enforcement must exercise their full powers under the law.
Issued by COSATU
Matthew Parks (COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator)
Mobile: 082 785 0687
Email: matthew@cosatu.org.za