5 June 2025
Nelson Mandela Bay metro municipality in the Eastern Cape may have escaped being listed among the seven worst-performing municipalities by the auditor-general (AG), but residents and civil society organisations are concerned about underspending on its infrastructure budget.
A recent AG report showed most municipalities have poor financial management, with seven receiving the worst possible outcome for several years in a row.
The seven are Makana local municipality and Sundays River Valley in the Eastern Cape, Nketoana in the Free State, North West’s Ditsobotla, Lekwa-Teemane and Ratlou, and the Western Cape’s Kannaland.
Only 41% spent
Nelson Mandela Bay Metro spent only 41% of the regional bulk infrastructure grant it was allocated for the 2023-24 financial year. It had to return the money to the National Treasury.
Trade union federation Saftu called for a forensic investigation into the metro’s failure to spend its infrastructure grant, describing it as a “betrayal of the working class” by the municipality.
The metro was the only one allocated the grant as an intervention to address its infrastructural backlog, particularly in the townships and informal settlements.
Source :Citizen
