The Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) is providing support to municipalities that were flagged as having performed poorly in the Auditor General’s latest report.

According to Cogta Minister Des Van Rooyen the department has a Back to Basics Programme as an overall framework and it is working with the Auditor General’s office, National Treasury, provincial Cooperative Governance and provincial Treasury departments to assist and support municipalities to develop what they term post-audit action plans.

The Minister said this when the Governance Cluster Ministers fielded oral questions at the National Council of Provinces on Tuesday.

Van Rooyen said the department was also supporting the municipalities through the Revenue Enhancement and Records Management programmes, which are linked to the Back to Basics pillar of financial management.

The department has also prioritised the worst municipalities that happen to be part of what the Auditor General has raised in his report for support and constant monitoring.

Dealing with a lack of consequence management

Meanwhile, responding to a question, the Minister said the department was addressing the lack of consequence management, which is usually a challenge in municipalities when accounting officers fail to act on the Auditor General’s recommendations.

“One of the biggest weaknesses of our municipal system is a lack of consequence management.

“We have seen cases being brought to the attention of the executive authority or maybe the accounting officers and there has been a challenge of how do you manage these cases, but I must indicate the commitment to the resuscitation of the anti-corruption strategy, as well as the resuscitation of the anti-corruption forum has definitely introduced a new approach of handling such cases,” said the Minister.