KZN MEC for the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Sipho Hlomuka on Tuesday this week disclosed the latest figures for Covid-19 expenditure by KZN’s municipalities.
This as he briefed members of KZN Legislature’s Cogta Portfolio Committee.
The latest expenditure report accounted for the period between March 15 2020 and September 11 2020, and revealed that municipalities had spent R749.5-million on Covid-19-related expenditure.
Ugu’s expenditure amounted to R28,876,322.
The department has directed municipalities to ensure that mayors table detailed reports on Covid-19 expenditure to councils for adoption.
Such expenditure is to be included in the Special Adjustments Budget allowed for in respect of 2019/2020 by the National Treasury Circular 99 by June 15 2020.
The department has also asked councils to assess expenditure on extraordinary measures introduced as a result of Covid-19 lockdown and consider a comprehensive council item with financial and non-financial reports in the context of the regulations for urgent and emergency spending to prevent unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
“While we appreciate that municipalities are an independent sphere of government, we have a responsibility to ensure that we thoroughly assess any expenditure to ascertain whether all relevant policies were followed in this procurement,” said the MEC.
The department has requested that municipalities provide it with a list of the service providers who were utilised in respect of all this expenditure.
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