There is a direct link between billions lost through irregular‚ fruitless and wasteful expenditure at municipalities and violent protests sweeping across in South Africa.
The State of Local Government and Financial Management 2017 report revealed that the number of municipalities with clean audits had dropped from 48 in the 2015/16 financial year to 33. (out of 8 metropolitan municipalities, 44 district municipalities and 205 local municipalities.)
In the view of the commission‚ there is a direct link between billions being lost through irregular‚ fruitless and wasteful expenditure by those tasked with managing the finances of municipalities and the lack of service delivery which in turn inhibits and infringes on rights of access to socio economic rights of many South Africans‚ and has ignited so many violent and destructive protests.
It is clear that these municipalities are not achieving the progressive realisation of the rights as envisaged in the Constitution‚ including in Section 184(3) which requires state organs to provide information annually on the measures that they have taken towards the realisation of the rights in the Bill of Rights concerning housing‚ healthcare‚ food and water‚ among others.
Billions have been lost, billions that have robbed ordinary people from receiving the most basic social services they are constitutionally entitled to.
South Africa is subject to regular‚ violent and destructive protests as a result of people’s anger over poor service delivery. These expressions of anger by communities can be avoided, if state funds are spent in the service of ordinary South Africans and not end up in the pockets of those who run the municipalities and government.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
