Gauteng Finance MEC Lebogang Maile has announced the audit results for the province’s 11 municipalities for the 2023/24 financial year. The Gauteng Provincial Treasury (GPT) released the findings, outlining the financial status of these municipalities.
Out of the 11 Gauteng Municipalities, only the West Rand District Municipality and Midvaal municipality got a clean audit outcome for the financial year.
While some municipalities maintained clean audits, others continued to struggle with financial reporting and compliance challenges.
According to the report, the City of Tshwane and Emfuleni Local Municipality once again received qualified audit opinions, indicating their inability to fully implement recommendations from previous audit findings.
The provincial treasury, along with the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), is actively reviewing these municipalities’ challenges to enhance financial management and accountability.
On a more positive note, Midvaal Local Municipality secured its eleventh consecutive clean audit, demonstrating strong financial governance.
Other municipalities, including Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, and Sedibeng District Municipality, remained unqualified with findings, while some, such as West Rand District Municipality, Merafong Local Municipality, and Mogale City Local Municipality, showed progress in improving their audit statuses.
Despite these advancements, the GPT acknowledged that there is still “room for improvement” across the province. To enhance financial oversight, the government plans to collaborate with the Office of the Auditor-General, COGTA, and SALGA. This partnership aims to nature a culture of accountability and strengthen financial reporting controls.
Maile added that the provincial government does not intend to place the struggling Emfuleni Municipality under oversight.
Putting a municipality under administration is not the only way of helping a municipality. I think we need to make sure that we help the municipality to be functional, effective and sustainable.
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The audit outcomes are a key indicator of municipalities’ financial discipline, directly impacting service delivery and public trust. The provincial government remains committed to strengthening financial management, addressing deficiencies, and ensuring municipalities have the necessary resources to serve their communities efficiently.
