Note to Editors: Please find the attached soundbite in English and Afrikaans by Cllr Hans Jurie Moolman, the DA Caucus Leader in JB Marks Local Municipality.
For years, the JB Marks Local Municipality has allowed an administrative environment that is prone to fraud, theft, corruption and devoid of accountability.
The municipality’s financial regression revealed in the 2019/2020 Auditor General’s report, the lack of consequence management in financial and procurement transgressions and the hostility with which questions on finances are met is further proof that stringent oversight with accountability is needed.
The continued failure of the JB Marks Local Municipality Mayor and the administration to be transparent and subject itself to oversight by elected Councillors forced the DA to demand accountability before considering a new budget without a commitment to address corruption in the municipality.
On Friday 3 July 2020, the JB Marks Municipal Council unanimously accepted a DA proposal to provisionally and conditionally adopt its Integrated Development Plan (IDP) and 2020/2021 annual budget.
The DA tabled a non-negotiable proposal which outlined questions, motions and requests regarding financial mismanagement and maladministration over the past three financial years which were brushed aside by the Executive Mayor, the Speaker and the Municipal Manager.
The budget has not yet been approved. Our consideration in supporting the budget will depend on the full disclosure we have requested. The final approval of the budget will remain suspended until 14 July 2020 or until there is transparency regarding the municipality’s affairs.
The allegations that some JB Marks Councillors from the EFF and the ANC were implicated in corrupt negotiations involving millions of Rands in a bid to persuade them to support the budget. The DA will ensure that these allegations are thoroughly investigated and those implicated must face criminal charges for bribery.
The DA will write Premier Job Mokgoro and Minister of Cooperative Governance, Nkosana Dlamini Zuma, requesting them to intervene and restore financial management in line with the MFMA in JB Marks.
The people of JB Marks deserve a government that will prioritise service delivery and good governance instead of looting and corruption.