“The audit outcomes clearly indicate that internal controls did not work effectively at almost any of the municipalities in the province,” concludes the report, which was released on July 1.
This is despite the fact that municipalities in the province spent a total of R95 million on financial reporting alone in 2018/19. All except Ehlanzeni District Municipality are reported to have appointed consultants in their financial units to do the work of existing staff. Employee costs across the municipalities averaged about 30% of the total municipal budget, digging into money intended for service delivery.
