By Thulani Mbana | DA Caucus Leader Metsimaholo Local Municipality
Note to editors: Please find attached English and Sesotho soundbites by Cllr Thulani Mbana
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Metsimaholo demands accountability for the shocking financial mismanagement and poor governance revealed in the latest municipal audit report.
During the council meeting on 31 January 2025, the Auditor-General’s office presented a damning report on the municipality’s finances.
This audit painted a grim picture of the municipality’s future, highlighting severe deficiencies in infrastructure maintenance, policy implementation, project oversight, and consequence management.
The DA’s longstanding concerns have been vindicated, as the report confirms the failures we have consistently raised in council. These include the collapse of the Oranjeville Water Treatment Plant, the incomplete Deneysville Sports Centre, and numerous other critical governance failures.
It is unacceptable that the Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC) continues to fail in its duty to investigate financial misconduct. Despite a staggering R900 million in unauthorised, irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditures (UIFWs), no meaningful action has been taken.
Municipal departments habitually overspend their budgets while failing to deliver services, wasting public funds with no accountability or consequence management.
The DA has expressed deep concerns about this report in the council and has put forward tangible proposals to address these issues. However, we have little confidence that our recommendations will be taken seriously, as the current administration prioritises political games over service delivery for the people of Metsimaholo.
We will persist in exposing corruption and maladministration within the municipality while offering practical and effective solutions to ensure transparent and accountable governance.
The residents of Metsimaholo deserve better, and we will continue fighting for a municipality that delivers value for money and essential services to the community.