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Auditor-General identifies irregularities in five Free State municipalities

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The Auditor-General has identified irregularities at five municipalities in the Free State after they failed to submit their financial statements on time.

This follows continuous non-compliance and failure to submit financial statements timeously.

The identified municipalities are Maluti-A-Phofung, Kopanong, Masilonyana, Nketoana and Tokologo.

Free State Auditor-General Business Leader, Odwa Duda, says they have extended their powers to encourage accounting officers to investigate irregularities in municipalities.

Duda has cautioned the leadership in the province that lack of consequence management is encouraging the poor performance of municipalities.

“In the event that those recommendations are not implemented as part of extended powers,  we can take them to the next stage, of which your next stage is where you are taking them through the remedial actions and remember the remedial action now, the auditees they don’t have the choice but to implement what you put on the table.”

Opposition slams municipalities

Meanwhile, opposition parties have slammed the Free State government for negative audit municipal outcomes.

The latest Auditor-General report from last month showed that the financial health of municipalities in the province continue to deteriorate.

Irregular expenditure in the Free State has increased from over R7.6 billion to more than R9 billion.

This was due to the failure of municipal public accounts committees’ to perform timeous investigations.

More details in the report below:

-Additional reporting by SABC News 

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