The Northern Cape and the Free State Sopas are expected to shed some light on how their respective provincial governments intend on dealing with fraud and corruption is their municipalities.

The issues of scholar transport, youth unemployment and job creation, among others, are also expected to come under heavy scrutiny. 

Northern Cape premier, Zamani Saul, is expected to give details on his cost-cutting measure sentiments and he's also expected to give clarity on how he exactly plans on scrapping the tender system in his province. 

FS premier, Sisi Ntombela, is expected to provide a plan of action on how she and her MEC’s of finance, Gadija Brown, and Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) MEC, Thembebi Nxangisa, will tackle the troubles in various ailing municipalities in the province.

This, as none of the Free State municipalities along with municipalities in neighbouring North West received a clean audit from the 2017/18 Auditor General (AG) Kimi Makwetu’s report on the state of municipalities across the country. 

In his report, Makwetu said municipalities in the Free State had incurred a total of R675 million in irregular expenditure during the 2016/17 fiscal year alone. 

These municipalities are more than R7.8 billion indebted to Eskom, which is the highest amount compared to municipalities in other provinces.

He said the lack of development and maintenance of infrastructure in the Maluti-A-Phofung, Matjhabeng and Metsimaholo Municipalities, is of great concern.

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