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Programmes
Operation Clean Audit 2014
A key programme of the LGTAS is Operation Clean Audit 2014. Its main purpose is to address challenges faced by municipalities and provinces
in managing audits, especially audit findings and
queries from the Auditor-General (AG). The campaign seeks to achieve clean audits in municipalities and provincial government departments by 2014.
While there is still some distance to go towards achieving sound financial management in municipalities, there was an improvement in 2011 compared to previous years.
In 2004/05, 61 municipalities received financially unqualified audits. This figure increased to 94 in 2007/08, 117 in 2008/09 and 127 in 2009/10. While only two municipalities received clean audits in 2004/05, there were four in 2008/09 and seven in 2009/10.
While national and provincial government provide support, the primary responsibility to achieve clean audits remains that of municipalities. Therefore, the municipal political leadership must set the right tone and foster the right culture. For this reason, the Councillor Induction Training Programme was established. It is aimed at equipping new councillors with a good understanding of their responsibilities, including good financial management.
Provincial coordinating committees (PCCs) have been established with key drivers being the provincial departments responsible for local government and provincial treasuries. In some provinces, the Premier's Office participates in these structures.
The PCCs meet at least quarterly and municipalities report on progress made in implementing their audit remedial action plans in response to issues raised by the AG. Specific initiatives to support municipalities in improving audit outcomes include:
- providing guidance on the establishment and functioning of municipal public accounts committees (MPACs)
- providing MPACs with training, in partnership with the South African Local Government Association (Salga), the Association of Public Accounts Committees and National Treasury
- the department, in partnership with National Treasury, embarking on a process to determine the reasons for the failure of some municipalities to establish internal audit units and audit committees, and provide recommendations on appropriate intervention measures
- National Treasury deploying financial experts who serve as MFMA, 2003 advisers to provincial treasuries and some municipalities
- the Department of Cooperative Governance establishing an inspectorate to fight fraud and corruption.
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Community Work Programme (CWP)
The CWP contributes to developing public assets in poor communities and provides income security and work experience for participants, enhances dignity and promotes social and economic inclusion. The programme was transferred from the Department of Public Works to the Department of Cooperative Governance in 2009/10.
The CWP aims to provide an employment safety net by providing a minimum level of regular work opportunities to participants, with a predictable number of days of work provided a month. In 2011, the programme provided two days of work a week, eight days a month and 100 days a year per participant at a wage rate of R60 per day. An amount of R647,899 million was spent on implementing the programme in 2011/12.
Within the context of the NGP, in 2011/12, the department aimed to promote and support private-sector driven catalytic business ventures and programmes that can support job creation on a large scale.
It also recognised that the small, medium and micro-enterprise sector, emerging farmers and cooperatives play a critical role in job creation. By
September 2011, 70 844 work opportunities were created under the CWP.
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Local Economic Development (LED)
LED is an approach towards economic development, which allows and encourages local people to work together to achieve sustainable economic growth and development, thereby bringing economic benefits and improved quality of life for all residents in a local municipal area.
LED is intended to maximise the economic potential of municipal localities and enhance the resilience of macro-economic growth through increased local economic growth, employment creation and development initiatives within the context of sustainable development. The "local" in economic development points to the fact that the political jurisdiction at local level is often the
most appropriate place for economic intervention, as it carries alongside it the accountability and legitimacy of a democratically elected body.
LED programmes provide support in the following areas:
- developing and reviewing national policy, strategy and guidelines on LED
- providing direct and hands-on support to provincial and local government
- managing the LED Fund
- managing and providing technical support to Nodal Economic Development Planning
- facilitating, coordinating and monitoring donor pogrammes
- assisting LED capacity-building processes.
Through these interventions and resources, local role players and interest groups are mobilised for
the sake of achieving economic growth and creating
jobs to reduce poverty.
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Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG)
The Department of Cooperative Governance is responsible for managing and transferring the MIG and provides support to provinces and municipalities on implementing municipal infrastructure grant projects. The grant is aimed at eradicating municipal infrastructure backlogs in poor communities to ensure the provision of basic services such as water, sanitation, roads and community lighting.
The MIG allocation for 2010/11 was R9,7 million, which is expected to increase to R15,3 billion in 2013/14. The targets for 2010/11 were:
- basic water: 1,4 million households
- basic sanitation: 808 070 households
- roads: 1,1 million households
- community lighting: 540 186 households.
The targets for the 2013/14 financial year are:
- basic water: two million households
- basic sanitation: 1,2 million households
- roads: 1,7 million households
- community lighting: 768 150 households.
By the end of 2011, the department was in the final stages of setting up the Municipal Infrastructure Support Agency (Misa) to accelerate municipal infrastructure delivery. Particular attention will be paid to weaker municipalities. Misa aims to:
- support comprehensive infrastructure planning at municipal level
- support municipal infrastructure development, maintenance, operations and service provision in low-capacity municipalities through the procurement of relevant service-providers, and by ensuring performance as contracted
- support the management of operations and ensure a proper maintenance programme for municipal infrastructure
- coordinate a focused technical support programme with existing support partners
- monitor the quality of infrastructure provided
- develop and coordinate the implementation of an appropriate sector-wide capacity-development initiative and assist municipalities to develop a capacity-development plan to strengthen their institutions over the long term.
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Capacity-building
A capacity-building plan for local government was developed regarding issues surrounding the Outcome 12 achievements.
Government aims to revive and strengthen the Local Government Training Academy (Logola) so that new councillors are equipped to discharge their responsibilities effectively.
Logola is responsible for, among other things, developing the curriculum for the Municipal Leadership Development Programme, with its main aim being to develop a curriculum that will lead to the enhancement of a politically mature senior leadership within the local government sphere.
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Disaster management
The Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act 57 of 2002) [PDF] was promulgated in 2003. The National Disaster-Management Centre (NDMC) with functional disastermanagement centres and advisory forums were established in eight provinces. The National Disaster-Management Advisory Forum was recognised by the United Nations (UN) as the national platform for reducing disaster-risk.
South Africa has also made significant progress in respect of the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action – a global blueprint, which aims to substantially reduce disaster losses by 2015.
Through the NDMC, the Department of Cooperative Governance registered unit standards for levels three to seven with the South African Qualifications Authority for a national certificate in disaster-risk management. The department also developed regulations for recruiting and using disaster-management volunteers.
Early in 2011, exceptionally heavy rainfall led to severe flooding in South Africa, causing damage worth millions of rands, displacing thousands and leaving over 100 people dead. An interministerial committee (IMC) was formed to coordinate government's response. It was also tasked with the responsibility of ensuring that all three spheres of government provided assistance and support to the affected communities in a coordinated manner. The NDMC monitored the situation and provided regular reports to the IMC and other institutions. The National Joint Operations Centre was activated to coordinate the response by the Security Cluster.
The Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) activated the 24-hour operations room to facilitate the speedy flow of information regarding flooding to keep government and the public informed.
Source: South Africa Yearbook 2011/12
Editor: D Burger. Government Communication and Information System
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Last modified: 16 January 2013 08:19:37. |
