Broke Maluti-A-Phofung councillors bunking meetings exacerbates dysfunction

Reports are piling up at the broke Maluti-A-Phofung Local Municipality’s public accounts committee as councillors skip Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) meetings, leaving the municipality without crucial oversight on how public funds are spent.

The Phuthaditjhaba head-quartered Maluti-A-Phofung cannot generate its own income and relies on grants to pay salaries.

Residents are subjected to poor services with extended water and power cuts the order of the day. The municipality is one of the dysfunctional councils in the province plagued by corruption and mismanagement and still owes power utility Eskom billions in unpaid debt.

No quorum

A coalition led by MAP16 Civic Movement was formed in 2021 after the African National Congress (ANC) lost its majority to run council. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) actively collaborates with the coalition on certain matters.

Sources at the municipality say MPAC, which is chaired by EFF councillor Chicco Mkhwanazi, is yet to investigate reports referred to it.

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There are approximately 12 reports before it that need attention, but nothing happens as councillors do not attend meetings.

“When they attend, the meeting never reaches a quorum. MPAC is unable to discharge its duties, meaning there is no oversight over the executive to ensure good governance,” said the insider.

According to the SA Local Government Association (Salga), an MPAC needs to be provided with the necessary information and documentation to interrogate actions of the executive to fulfil its oversight role.

The committee submits reports directly to the council. Among other duties, MPAC investigates financial aspects such as irregular expenditure, as per the Municipal Financial Management Act.

DA requests council speaker to act

The Democratic Alliance (DA) at the municipality said it has written to Speaker Paratlane Motloung of the Dikwankwetla Party of SA (DPSA) and Mkhwanazi, requesting them to resolve issues within MPAC.

“Both these attempts fell on deaf ears, clearly showing how disinterested the MAP16-led coalition is in the functionality of the committee and the accountability of the municipality.

“No resolutions to the issues plaguing MPAC are in sight,” said DA councillor Moshe Lefuma.

He added that Maluti-A-Phofung has over R6 billion in unauthorised, irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditure dating back to 2012/13, and has recently added another R111 million in the 2021/22 financial year.

“This should be a top priority of the committee, but is receiving no attention at all.”

MPAC ‘meeting again’

MAP16 spokesperson Mmutlanyana Sekete denied that MPAC was in disarray, saying the problems have been resolved.

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However, he added that because the committee comprises different parties, some councillors absconded, leading to work not being done.

“There was a reluctance to attend the meeting but that was resolved. This is an important committee to make sure the finances are in order.

“We are complying, especially on matters raised by national Treasury and the Auditor-General,” he said.

He denied utterances by Lehuma that MAP16 is worse than the previous ANC government.

“We managed to source funds from Infrasture SA and the Department of Water and Sanitation to fix roads in Maluti-A-Phofung and attend to water shortages.

“At least R1 billion from the funding will has been set aside to establish a solar plant to augment load shedding. Would the DA be able to do all these if it was in power? I doubt it,” said Sekete.

Plans to unseat MAP16 fail

At least three no-confidence motions have been tabled against Mokotso and his team, but none has successfully gone through.

Insiders say the ANC, which has the voting power to remove MAP16 along with some of the smaller parties and the DA, seemed in disagreement and not united to remove the civic movement.

Last year, the governing party was poised to strike, but reneged, leaving MAP16 firmly in control.

The ANC seats dropped from 47 to 28 after Map16 dislodged the party’s grip on power in the 2021 local polls.

The civic organisation was formed by 16 ANC councillors who were expelled from the party in 2018.

They regrouped in 2021 to contest the ANC and received 20 seats, forming a coalition with other parties such as DPSA, African Independent Congress (AIC), African Transformation Movement (ATM), Aula and Sarko.

Aula and Sarko have since withdrawn from the coalition.

Support for the governing party declined from 67% to 32%.

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