The Westonaria Local Municipality was found guilty on 15 September 2015 of infringing on the copyright of a software provider and ordered to pay R5,75 million.
“AfriForum then requested the Auditor-General to determine which part of this amount was fruitless and wasteful expenditure,” said Chris Fourie, Provincial Coordinator: Gauteng South AfriForum.
Mike van Deventer, chairman of AfriForum’s Westonaria branch added, “Vusi Msibi, the Corporate Executive: Audit at the Auditor-General confirmed in a letter to us that our requests as well as the court judgement had been sent to the Auditor-General’s legal department for guidance on the interpretation of the judgement.”
Msibi then confirmed the auditors responsible for the audit of Westonaria Local Municipality had been instructed to consider AfriForum’s request and the court judgement during the municipality’s annual audit, and to determine if fruitless and wasteful expenditure had indeed occurred.
Fruitless and wasteful expenditure entails expenditure that was made in vain and would have been avoided if reasonable care had been exercised.
“AfriForum believes that the Westonaria Local Municipality’s leadership deliberately infringed on the software provider’s copyrights and a portion of the R5,75 million must therefore be fruitless and wasteful.
“Section 32(1)(d) of the Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act states that, if any political office-bearer or municipal official deliberately or negligently make or authorise a fruitless and wasteful expenditure, that office-bearer or municipal official will be liable for the expenditure.
AfriForum will apply the necessary pressure on the relevant authorities to ensure the guilty parties pay back the wasted taxpayers’ money,” said Fourie.
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Also read:
Westonaria Municipality guilty of hacking
W’aria-munisipaliteit nikswerd verby
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