Auditor general Tsakani Maluleke. (GCIS)
Another day in South Africa, and another opportunity to listen to a respected authority figure pleading for clean governance.
On Tuesday, it was the turn of auditor general Tsakani Maluleke to beg local governments not to steal or waste (or at least not to steal or waste as much) of taxpayers’ money, while presenting the 2022-23 report on local government audit outcomes.
The trend of poor audit outcomes in local government has continued, with only 13% of municipalities obtaining clean audits for the reporting year.
South Africa has 257 municipalities, but only 34 govern in an exemplary manner.
That no one was particularly surprised by this number speaks volumes about how low the bar for clean governance is in this country.
It also demonstrates how immune taxpayers are to seeing their money being flung around like a cow’s tail trying to rid itself of a plague of flies.
“Local government’s inability to comply with legislation remains a significant obstacle, with 86% of municipalities receiving material compliance findings. This marks a slight regression from previous years, with compliance findings at 85% in the last year and 83% in 2020-21,” said Maluleke.
She made her presentation to the portfolio committee on cooperative governance and traditional affairs, the chairperson of which is Zweli Mkhize, who, along with members of his family and friends, is alleged to have had his hands in the department of health’s R150 million Digital Vibes cookie jar.
It would be tragic if it wasn’t so farcical.
What is tragic is that Maluleke’s pleas have been the same as those of her predecessors and other authority figures for more than a decade: please don’t steal. Please do more with the money taxpayers give you. Please, political leaders, try to be less corrupt.
What is even more tragic is that we know who is doing the stealing — every publication in this country is crammed with allegations of such on a daily basis, and myriad cases are sitting with our police and courts.
But unplugging those municipal patronage networks on the path to good governance necessitates that our politicians and officials be made of sterner stuff.
Sterner stuff starts at the very top of any organisation or government, and flows down like a sublime syrup, penetrating the pores of every employee or official.
It doesn’t happen by magical thinking or nine-point plans, by press releases or “family meetings”, and it certainly won’t be found stuffed inside a couch, no matter how far down one reaches.