GOOD Speech by Siyabulela Mamkeli,
GOOD City of Cape Town Councillor
20 August 2026
*Note to Editors: This speech was delivered during the Ordinary Council Meeting of the City of Cape Town,
Honourable Speaker,
The Auditor-General’s latest findings require this Council to be honest about the state of governance in the City. While the administration may correctly state that it received an unqualified audit opinion, residents must understand that an unqualified audit is not the same as a clean audit.
A clean audit requires not only credible financial statements, but also no material findings on performance reporting and no material findings on compliance with legislation.
The Auditor-General’s concerns around Supply Chain Management, procurement processes, tenders and contract management are serious because these weaknesses have a direct impact on service delivery.
We see this clearly in the Urban Mobility Directorate, where the City’s own Adjustments Budget acknowledges delays caused by contractor failures, procurement delays and capacity constraints.
Projects such as road rehabilitation in Manenberg, Bonteheuwel and Uitsig, the Mfuleni Taxi Rank upgrade, traffic calming projects, stormwater upgrades and other transport infrastructure initiatives have been delayed.
Honourable Speaker, the City cannot continue to dilly-dally when it comes to spending money where residents need it most.
Communities such as Covid, Lotus Park and Phola Park informal settlements cannot wait indefinitely while budgets remain unspent or projects are rolled over. Residents are asking for the basics: proper roads, access to water, sanitation, electricity and dignified living conditions.
For people living in informal settlements, a delayed project is not an accounting entry it is a family walking through mud during winter, children travelling on unsafe pathways, households living without reliable services and communities being denied their basic dignity.
The Auditor-General’s findings must therefore be a wake-up call. Good governance is not measured by how much money is allocated on paper, but by whether that money reaches the communities who need it most.
We call on the administration to urgently fix procurement failures, strengthen contractor management and ensure that infrastructure spending delivers real improvements, especially in our most vulnerable communities.
Thank you.
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