The Free State Local Government Summit, which is taking place in Bloemfontein, aims to establish a comprehensive action plan, as noted by MEC Saki Mokoena of the Free State Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA). The summit’s key objectives are to assist municipalities in achieving clean audits, enhancing their revenue collection efforts, and streamlining their billing processes.
By Telegram Reporter
According to MEC Saki Mokoena from the Free State Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), the Free State Local Government Summit, which started on December 3, 2024, is set to formulate an action plan to help municipalities secure clean audits, enhance their revenue collection efforts, and optimise their billing systems.
On Wednesday, the summit, held in Bloemfontein, commenced its second day. It has brought together various municipalities, the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), Water Boards, and Eskom. The main goal of this gathering is to assess governance, evaluate performance indicators, and analyse the efficiency of service delivery across municipalities.
For a considerable number of years, various municipalities have faced challenges in obtaining clean audit outcomes.
The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) in the Free State has reported that municipalities are struggling to meet their obligations due to several critical issues. These include a lack of administrative resources, a deficit of experienced senior managers, and persistent political turmoil.
Lawrence Mathae, the chairperson of SALGA in the province, stated that the organisation is dedicated to assisting municipalities in strengthening their administrative capacity and recruiting qualified senior management to improve their effectiveness.
Mathae emphasised the importance of focusing on the agenda aimed at enhancing capacity and addressing the daily challenges faced by municipalities. He highlighted the need to foster an environment where local governments can independently develop their programs and solutions.
“Historically, there has been a significant turnover in vacancies, especially at the senior management level. Without senior managers equipped with the necessary competencies for effective governance, municipalities will struggle to fulfil their mandates,” he stated.
In an interview with SABC News, Mokoena spoke about the challenges surrounding revenue generation and the billing system, emphasizing their interconnectedness. He noted that municipalities struggle to accurately bill both residents and businesses, which hampers their ability to generate revenue and recoup costs for the services offered.
Additionally, Mokoena highlighted the importance of effectively implementing grants, stressing the need for accountability and measurable results to strengthen essential networks.
“We are dealing with the issue of revenue generation and the billing system because the two are linked and municipalities are not able to properly bill both the residents and the industry. So, they are unable to generate revenue and recover costs for the services they are providing.
“The third aspect we’re dealing with is the effective implementation of the grants. The entire spectrum of grants in terms of accountability and results that are quantifiable to make that we built on major networks,” explained Mokoena.