This is according to the Auditor-General (AG) Kimi Makwetu, who released his report regarding the R500 billion Covid-19 relief funds on Wednesday. He says only R1.6 billion has been sent to various municipalities across the country since the declaration of the state National Disaster Management Act by President Cyril Ramaphosa, roughly six months ago.

He says the delay is largely because treasury had to take into account concerns of possible fraud and corruption in municipalities over these Covid-19 relief funds.

Makwetu says that the majority of the expenditure to date was on two areas of priority which suggests that there is still an opportunity to protect what there is left in the bank. “Grants to municipalities to provide for emergency water supply increased sanitisation of public transport and facilities, food and shelter for the homeless, basic services for additional households who lost their source of income and became indigent.”

Meanwhile, in July this year, the JB Marks municipal’s manager in Potchefstroom had a case of fraud and corruption opened against him and some senior officials, after allegations that the municipality submitted contradictory reports on the Covid-19 budget allocated to the municipality.

OFM News