By JOHANNESBURG — In a bid to clamp down on persistent financial mismanagement across local government, three key committees of the Gauteng Provincial Legislature are convening a joint oversight session to directly interrogate municipal performance and audit failures.
The high-stakes engagement brings together the Legislature’s Finance Portfolio Committee, the Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Portfolio Committee, and the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA). Under the leadership of Dr. Andiswa Mosai, Chairperson of the Finance Portfolio Committee, lawmakers will confront local authorities over recurring audit disclaimers, weak financial controls, and delayed corrective actions.
The joint session comes as the province struggles to resolve deep-seated structural issues within local administration. The audit results from the 2024/2025 Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) cycle will be evaluated alongside representatives from the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA), the Gauteng Provincial Treasury, and the provincial CoGTA department.
Six Municipalities Put to the Test
Six municipalities have been summoned to account for their financial performance and justify their remediation efforts:
- Emfuleni Local Municipality
- Merafong City Local Municipality
- Sedibeng District Municipality
- Mogale City Local Municipality
- Rand West City Local Municipality
- Lesedi Local Municipality
Several of the summoned councils have faced chronic revenue collection shortages, escalating debt owed to service providers, and governance breakdowns. Lawmakers plan to dissect the root causes of recurring audit findings and assess whether municipal audit action plans are delivering measurable improvements or simply serving as paper exercises.
Scrutinizing Support and Intervention Programs
Beyond holding local administrators accountable, the tri-committee hearing turns the spotlight onto provincial authorities. Both the Gauteng Provincial Treasury and provincial CoGTA will be required to detail their assistance initiatives and intervention strategies.
Legislators intend to determine whether provincial support programs are adequately coordinated, sufficiently resourced, and capable of turning around struggling councils. Identifying support gaps will be a primary objective, with lawmakers seeking clear agreements on actionable steps to overhaul financial controls, governance structures, and service delivery frameworks.
The outcomes of this joint session will establish the roadmap for follow-up oversight actions and potential legislative interventions.
Public Access and Hearing Details:
- Date: Friday, 28 August 2026
- Time: 10:00 AM
- Venue: Mondior Hotel, Emperors Palace, Gauteng
- Live Streams: Broadcast online via the Gauteng Provincial Legislature’s official YouTube and Facebook channels.
