GOOD Statement by Brett Herron ,
GOOD Secretary-General
20 January 2025
The GOOD Party has noted Moneyweb’s publication of the alleged 2023/24 Auditor General (AG) report for the City of Tshwane for the 2023/24 financial year (https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news/south-africa/another-qualified-audit-opinion-for-city-of-tshwane/). We welcome the probe into the leak of the report. The final AG report is only due to serve before the Tshwane Council on the 30th of January 2025.
GOOD however notes the reported findings of the 2023/24 AG report which relates to the DA’s Mayor Cilliers Brink’s last full term of office. Brink was Mayor of Tshwane from March 2023 to September 2024. The AG’s 2023/24 report audits Brink’s tenure as Mayor from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024.
The AGs report is quoted as finding that the former Mayor Brink’s administration:
• Had received another qualified audit opinion from the AG;
• Had increased unauthorised expenditure to a whopping R2,1 billion, up from R423 million the previous year;
• Had increased irregular expenditure to R2,3 billion, up from R1,9 billion the previous year;
• That, although a target of just 550 metres of new sewerage pipes was set for the 2023/24 year, not a single metre of new sewerage pipelines was installed;
• That only 15% of reported pothole complaints were resolved within “standard municipal response time”;
The AG is quoted as reporting that there was “overall stagnation” and that the outcome of the audit was testament to an ineffective action plan being implemented by Brink’s administration.
GOOD agrees with the AG that a further qualified audit opinion finding against the administration of the former DA Mayor, Cilliers Brink, is indeed testament of their turnaround plans being ineffective. Further evidence is the reported R4,4 billion worth of irregular and unauthorised expenditure for the July 2023 to June 2024 period.
Given these very poor audit result outcomes and findings from the Auditor General, GOOD is reassured of its decision to support a leadership change in September 2024 that is already starting to yield results for the City of Tshwane.
Following years of poor audit outcomes and failing service delivery under the DA’s leadership, GOOD in September 2024 supported a motion to remove Mayor Brink and install Dr Nasiphi Moya, from ActionSA, as the new Executive Mayor of Tshwane.
Since this time, the Executive Mayor and her leadership team, including GOOD’s Councillor Sarah Mabotsa, a property professional, have been visiting communities across the widespread metro to encourage residents to pay their outstanding rates and to comply with relevant city bylaws or face the consequences of being cut off from illegal electricity connections or having their businesses closed down.
These actions have already seen revenue collection for the City of Tshwane increase, alleviating a key risk and concern of the AG regarding declining revenue collection.
The City of Tshwane has also engaged with Eskom to reach a payment deal on the almost R7 billion debt that the metro owes Eskom. Municipalities not paying their debts to Eskom is a key cause of rising electricity costs in South Africa.
GOOD awaits the final report from the AG which will be tabled on the 30th January 2025 before commenting further.
Media enquiries:
Brett Herron, GOOD: Secretary-General
Cell: 082 5183264
Email: bretth@forgood.org.za
Samantha Jackson, GOOD: Media Manager
Cell: 083 5509875
Email: samantha@forgood.org.za