Hon Chair, hon members of the House and guests in the gallery, the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs has a constitutional as well as a legislative mandate with regards to the functioning and development of local government systems.
The Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Cogta, has to ensure that all municipalities perform their basic responsibilities and functions without compromise.
Accountability, according to Municipal Finance Management Act, MFMA, is not enforced and the rule of law is not respected or honoured by those entrusted to ensure that there is compliance to the laws of this land.
According to the findings of the Auditor-General, the financial status of South African municipalities has become worse. The overall decline and the unbearable state of deterioration in the audit outcomes is proof of lack of oversight, control and discipline by the various local government role- players. The evidence speaks for itself. From a total of 257 municipalities that were audited, those with clean audits regressed from 14% in the previous financial year to 8%. This financial regression of municipalities across the country continues to worsen, directly affecting the delivery of services to the citizenry of South Africa.
In the 24 years of democratic local government, Cogta could not pursue the mandatory core function to implement and monitor the implementation of national policies and legislation resulting in the collapse of local governments and subsequent failure to deliver essential services.
Legislation from Cogta during the 5th Parliament has also been flawed. The Municipal Demarcation Act, the Traditional Khoisan Leadership Bill and the 2017 Constitutional Court ruling based on procedural flaws on the 2011 Amendment Bill of the Municipal Systems Act being unconstitutional. The Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs to be resolute and ensure a new respectable era of co-operative governance as envisioned in our Constitution. I thank you. [Applause.]