Makhurupetji issued the stern warning during the official introduction of the new mayors to the communities at Enable Community Hall in Sekororo on Friday.
She said if any of the municipalities receive a disclaimer or adverse audit opinion from the office of the Auditor General at the end of the financial year, the mayor and the municipal manager will face serious consequences.
“The provincial government will no longer tolerate poor audit outcomes,” she stated.
She said the communities expect new mayors to create conditions for decent living by prioritising the delivery of quality services such as water, electricity, roads, housing, sanitation and refuse removal.
“They would want you to lead by example, by always ensuring that there is good governance in your municipalities.
They would expect you to stop corruption and cut down on fruitless and waste full expenditure. They will expect that you hire competent people and run transparent and accountable administrations,” she said.
She added that any leader who fail to deliver services to the people, will be recalled from office even before the term ends.
She urged the newly elected mayors to pay attention and listen attentively to what ordinary people have to say about issues that affect their lives.
She assured them of the support of the Department of CoGHSTA, Traditional leaders, the support of the Premier’s Office and of the entire Executive Council of the province.
Speaking on behalf of Mopani municipalities, the Executive Mayor, Nkakareng Rakgoale conceded that negative audit outcomes remains remain one of the top challenges which need urgent attention.
“Let us from the very beginning declare the current term as the one that signifies the end to this challenge. If we work together, we can go a long way in assisting one another to overcome this challenge because in the main, our stories are interrelated. We must create a platform where all our audit committee in the district can meet and share information with the sole purpose of bettering our audit opinions,” she said.
She said in order to ensure the smooth running of municipalities and delivery of services, they will expedite the process of filling all critical vacant posts such as directors, chief financial officers and the municipal managers.
“Eradication of poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment still tops the priority lists of the municipalities in Mopani,” she said.
She added that as the Mopani District Municipality, they are aware that one of the major challenges facing the district is the provision of water.
