Publications
Partners
In terms of the Municipal Finance Management Act the Municipal Manager of each Council is considered to be the accounting officer over all funds and allocations received by Council from Treasury and in so doing act with good governance, transparency, accountability and at all cost eradicate irregular, unauthorized, fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
All expenditure incurred within Council would therefore have to be authorized and vetted as authentic expenditure and for the Municipal Manager to act as guardian over the allocated funds.
Of recent however the Mayor of the Elias Motsoaledi Local Council, found herself to be enriched by a direct deposit into her personal bank account in the amount of R 100 000 (yes one hundred thousand Rand I do dare to say) and the reason for the payment being at the time given that it was payment in lieu of travel allowance.
The Mayor has use of the official Council vehicle and such an amount paid into her personal bank account is not only highly irregular, unauthorized but raises serious concerns over how the Municipal Manager and or her delegates consider Council funds to be expended appropriately and without any fear or favour of anyone.
On questioning this ‘unlawful enrichment’ the Mayor made arrangements to refund Council the unlawful monies paid, but Council, not in any way told about this highly irregular and unauthorized expenses that were erroneously incurred.
Has the Council now become a Micro Lender to be able to roll over cash flows of Employees and for them to refund Council the money once they are in a position to do so?
To try and hide the matter from Council, speaks Volumes and one need to wonder what else is being ‘swept under the carpet’ to cover up for blunders in the administration of the finances of the Council.
A very much peculiar situation to say the least and one need to wonder what other ‘worms will crawl out of the cupboard’ once you start investigating everything?
If this in any way is the manner in which the Municipal Manager and for that matter the Mayor defines ‘good, clean, transparent, accountable, governance and administration of the finance of the local council’, and is indicative (analytic, analytical, problem-solving, and pinpointing) of their understanding of the English Language, I would suggest that they ask for a refund on their school fees as they never comprehended (realize grasp figure out have a handle on) to understand what it should really be.
