The following Ministers have submitted apologies for not being able to be here. The first is the Minister in the Presidency: National Planning Commission, who is abroad. The second is the Minister in the Presidency: Performance Monitoring and Evaluation as well as Administration, who has been assigned the responsibility to lead the processes around the deaths at the Marikana mine. The third is the Minister of Women, Children and People with Disabilities, who has experienced a bereavement in her family. Their questions will therefore stand over.
Details relating to target set for municipalities to obtain clean audits and matters relating to municipalities with outstanding audits
63. Prince M M M Zulu (IFP) asked the Minister for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs:
(1) Whether his department has set the target for all municipalities to obtain clean audits by 2014; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(2) whether the 13% of the municipalities with outstanding audits for the past financial year have now been audited; if not, why not; if so, what are the relevant details;
(3) whether he has set any deadlines for these audits to be submitted; if not, why not; if so (a) what steps has he instituted to monitor these municipalities and (b) what are the further relevant details? CO617E
Chairperson, Operation Clean Audit's target is that by 2014 all municipalities are supposed to have achieved clean audits on their annual financial statements and be maintaining systems for sustaining quality financial statements and management information, with the understanding that all municipalities will each develop their own practical step processes to achieve this.
As of 14 September, audits have not been issued to 3,6% of municipalities. With the exception of two municipalities, the Nala Local Municipality in the Free State and Renosterberg Municipality in the Northern Cape, all have submitted their annual financial statements to the Auditor-General. This refers to all those who had not submitted at the point when the Auditor- General published the audit outcomes. Regarding the two municipalities that have not yet submitted their annual financial statements to the Auditor- General, we are working closely with them and assisting them to compile their annual financial statement as a matter of high priority.
Hon Chairperson, I want to ask the hon Minister if he is aware that this Council has taken a decision, in the committee and the Council, that in terms of section 139 of the Constitution there must be an intervention, specifically in the Renosterberg Municipality, which he referred to now as one of the two municipalities that hasn't submitted its annual financial statement to the Auditor-General's office.
I don't know whether the Minister will be ready to take that question because it is a new one.
Chairperson, I'm ready to clarify that question, new as it is. There might be a need to engage in the process of applying section 139 of the Constitution, because it is clear in terms of how it starts. So, if there is such a decision, I want to believe that it will be taken on board and will enjoy interest because, according to the Constitution, the Minister for Co-operative Governance and MECs in the respective provinces have the responsibility to deal with this aspect. So, if that is the decision, we welcome it but we would definitely like to engage because the approach in terms of how we apply the Constitution, which is clearly defined, does not seem to be satisfied in terms of what the hon member is saying.
Thank you, hon Minister. I must just state, hon members, that I took a liberty because the Minister was willing to respond. However, it is advisable that even when we have taken decisions in committee, if those decisions have not been presented officially to the House and become the business of the House, it would not be appropriate to raise questions of that nature. What I'm trying to say is: Let us not ambush Ministers or try to sneak in other matters.
Chair, I have a point of order.
I made a ruling. I call on hon De Villiers to continue with a follow-up question. This is not a debate.
No, that is not the intention ...
No, it is not. I made a ruling on this matter to caution us all, not you particularly.
No, but Chairperson ...
Can you respect the ruling I made?
The fact of the matter is ...
No, no, no, hon Sinclair, can you respect the ruling I made?
I just want to say that ...
Hon Sinclair, I'm asking you for the second time. Can you respect ... [Interjections.] Hon Sinclair!
My question to the hon Minister is: Have any reasons been supplied by those municipalities that did not submit their annual financial reports?
Let me indicate that in the Auditor-General's report, there is a section that is open to the public and to everybody. There is a section that is contained in the management record and is directed at the municipality concerned. Regarding those municipalities that have not submitted their annual financial statements, we have instructed them - in fact, we are engaging with them - in terms of the programme that we adopted for talking to those municipalities. We have already spoken to some but not to all of them. So, at the point when we conclude this engagement, we will know exactly what each municipality's reason is for failing to submit its statement.
Finalisation of diagnostic report on state of municipal infrastructure under Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (Misa) pilot project
64. Prince M M M Zulu (IFP) asked the Minister for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs:
Whether his department has finalised the diagnostic report on the state of municipal infrastructure in 23 district municipalities under the piloted project of Municipal Infrastructure Support Agent (Misa); if not, why not; if so, when will this report be finalised?