The MEC for Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs in KwaZulu-Natal, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, has thrown her weight behind the call made by national Minister of Cogta Pravin Gordhan for the sacking of municipal chief financial officers (CFOs) who lack qualifications, experience or commitment to perform their duties.
“There is no room for unqualified or inexperienced CFOs in our local government and this is a non-negotiable position. We also feel strongly that even those CFOs who possess the required qualifications and experience but are failing to perform and ensure sound financial management and viability in KZN municipalities must go,” said KZN MEC for Cogta Nomusa Dube-Ncube.
It is important to note that municipal CFOs are employed directly by municipalities which are constitutionally a separate sphere of government over which the national and provincial governments provide only general oversight, part of which are minimum competencies for CFOs issued by the National Treasury and Cogta and enforced by the provincial Cogta.
“Whilst we ensure that all qualification and experience requirements are met in all instances of recruitment, much of the monthly reporting by municipalities in terms of the MFMA remains inaccurate and unreliable and some CFOs use consultants to prepare the financial statements which is what they themselves get paid to do,” said Dube-Ncube.
The fact that 77 percent of KZN municipalities required material adjustments to their financial statements in the last 2012/2013 audit outcomes is an indicator that CFOs are not performing effectively or managing the municipal budgets and lack the discipline to maintain an accurate and reliable set of financial information.
“As a result of such incompetence, council decisions are often based on dubious financial information. Presentation of such incorrect financial information by CFOs and Accounting Officers to councils is tantamount to financial misconduct and we at Cogta have instructed Mayors to take disciplinary action against ill-disciplined officials were accurate financial reporting is amiss,” said Dube-Ncube.
For more information:
Lennox Mabaso
KZN Cogta Spokesperson
Cell: 082 884 2403
