NELSPRUIT – Mbombela’s Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) has failed to submit its findings and recommendations on the Auditor General’s (AG) report on the municipality’s finances, by the deadline.
This was because the mayor, Cllr Cathy Dlamini, answered questions posed to the executive later than required.
MPAC, which exercises oversight over council’s executive functionaries to ensure good governance, had until the end of March to finalise its report.
It had meetings with the AG, the South African Local Government Association (Salga), and the municipality’s audit committee. Based on this information, questions were put to the executive for the committee to finalise its findings and make recommendations to council.
However, while these questions were submitted to the executive on March 12 and a written response was required by March 19, this was only received on March 26.
The speaker for Mbombela, Ms Jesta Sidell, said at a special council meeting on Friday afternoon that she was disappointed with the executive for failing to adhere to the deadlines and causing the report to be delayed.
“I have to indicate my disappointment with the fact that the executive arm did not adhere to the time frame pertaining to the compilation of the oversight report by MPAC on the 2012/13 report, despite the fact that the time frame had been agreed upon at the first ordinary council meeting on February 27.
“Consequently, the oversight report could not be finalised for consideration by council before the end of March as prescribed by relevant legislation and it being a compliance matter,” Sidell said. Her office was forced to request the provincial government to grant it permission to submit the report by the new stipulated date of April 14.
“I therefore once more urge the executive arm to honour the programme as mentioned above to ensure that the matter is finalised within the extended period.”
