Municipalities must conduct thorough background checks to prevent the same individuals and companies, many with a history of abandoned projects, from receiving contracts in other municipalities, said NCOP chairperson Bheki Radebe.

He expressed concern not only contractors, but also some municipal officials implicated in maladministration have developed a troubling pattern of moving from one municipality to another without facing consequences. 

This mobility significantly contributes to the persistent decline in service delivery across the province.

Several Free State municipalities have been left distressed after contractors abandoned multimillion-rand projects despite being fully or partially paid, leaving residents without critical services.

“In one municipality (Nketoana), I was unapologetic. You find R42 million has been spent, yet the projects remain unfinished because the contractor abandoned the work. 

“The law is very clear: if someone cannot deliver a project in a particular municipality, that person must be blacklisted, not only the company, but the individual as the director. 

“When a person fails in municipality A, he cannot simply move on to municipality B. During our visit to the municipality, we discovered they had also failed to deliver in other municipalities, which is why we were hard on them.”

Nketoana, one of the province’s most troubled municipalities, has been receiving disclaimer audit opinions for several consecutive years. The municipality requires urgent and decisive intervention. 

Radebe said NCOP has recommended Free State cooperative governance MEC Saki Mokoena step in without delay.

Public funds

He also warned the recurring disclaimer audit outcomes in the ailing municipality are a clear sign of deep-rooted governance failures, particularly where public funds vanish without a trace. Strengthening consequence management is essential to reversing the trend.

He referred to a recent case in North West, which was highlighted by the auditor-general as a model of accountability, where a municipal manager was fined R4.3 million. Similar action must be taken against officials and contractors across the country.

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OFM News/Kekeletso Mosebetsi dg