The Rand West City Local Municipality (RWCLM) is making strides in local governance and scooped a total of three prestigious awards recently.
This was during the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) Municipal Audit Awards which were held at Silverstar Casino in Krugersdorp on May 13.
The RWCLM was awarded the Most Improved Leadership and Governance Capabilities award for the 2021/2022 financial year. The municipality was also awarded for having received an unqualified opinion for the 2021/2022 financial year.
This is in addition to scooping an award for Municipal Capital Grants for Service Delivery for the 2021/2022 financial year.
According to the woman who has been steering the ship in the right direction, RWCLM Executive Mayor Gladys Khoza, this is a delightful experience for her and her team.
“This speaks to our hard work, dedication in council and towards the residents of its jurisdiction. Winning an award is a delightful experience and the highest honour, as it emanates from recognition of my teamwork, with me as a Chief Commander. When deployed in government, it is unusual that one would experience a situation where there is the acknowledgment of a job well done. The reality is that there is always a small number of employees who are dedicated and passionate about their work, who would go through the agony of making things possible with the limited resources in the municipality.
“We are referring to those who will expel the doubts that good and efficient governance is achievable and work hard to correct perceptions and misconceptions that make rounds in the grapevine and among communities. This is the caliber that forms part of my winning team that makes me say with confidence that I feel good and proud that my municipality scooped these prestigious awards,” said Khoza who added she strongly believes that a tough journey ends well.
She added that it is a lovely surprise to know that in such a small period since being appointed into office, such progress was made.
She also showed appreciation for the efforts that were employed by the municipality under the cohort of the current leadership, the administration by the Municipal Manager Thabo Ndlovu, and the Finance Department led by Gareth Mnisi with the cooperation of communities, which are yielding positive results.
“Decisive leadership, collective consultation, and accountability are my guiding principles. We all bring to the institution our knowledge and experiences and keep an open mind. This is the most valuable resource that if we all commit to sustain the momentum, we should continuously tap on.
“To me, this means that we have achieved the vision and mission of the institution, worked according to the financial standards, and met the legislative requirements for effective service delivery,” said Khoza.
Her strategy for running a well-oiled machine is having strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis dissecting issues and prioritising accordingly, as well as ensuring that work is done within the legislative framework.
She also said that engaging with all stakeholders and meeting financial standards are paramount in getting to where they are as a municipality.
What these awards mean is that the municipality was awarded the prestigious awards based on various factors:
• Improved internal controls.
• Compliance with all laws
• Compliance with regulations
• Presentation of Financial Statements which are free of material misstatements
• Preparation of Municipal Audit File in support of balances of the statements
• Procurement planning
• Establishment of Bid Committees
• Ring-fencing of conditional grants
• Spending within the limits of the budget
• Coordination between the finance department and the infrastructure department
• Establishment of a functional Project Management Unit
• Effective monitoring and evaluation
• Responsiveness in Auditor General requests for information
• Leadership skills and working together.
• Stability both administratively and politically
• Transparency, accountability, and integrity
• Tight internal controls with the ability to validate all checks and balances
• Functional internal audit and audit committee
