Riyaz Patel
A “total collapse of control measures” in the Free State, is how the Auditor-General’s report summed up the state of the provinces finances in a briefing to the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) in Parliament.
The MEC for Finance Elzabe Rockman said that the financial health of the province was in dire straits as there is “lack of accountability and oversight, poor long-term planning and budgeting, and weak intergovernmental relations.”
In addition, municipalities owe R3.8bn for bulk water and R9.75bn to Eskom.
The AG further flagged several accountability failures in the Free State. Among these, a total breakdown in internal controls, non-existent oversight by all assurance providers and late or non-submission of financial statements.
Irregular expenditure also spiked sharply from R677mn million to R913mn.
The Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality said there is a huge household backlog relating to water and sanitation dating as far back as 2009.
Another challenge,
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