On Saturday, 1 June 2013, the North West Provincial Legislature’s Standing Committee on Provincial Public Accounts (SCOPA) held an Imbizo for Municipal Public Accounts Committees (MPACs) at the Rustenburg Civic Centre for stakeholders to strategise on oversight, accountability and to strategise on action to be taken against those who misused taxpayers’ monies.
The Imbizo was attended by SCOPA members, the Department of Finance, Department of Local Government and Traditional Affairs, the South African Local Government Association; the Auditor General’s Office and Association of Public Accounts Committees.
Amongst the issues raised was the interference of the mayors, that chairpersons of MPACs are being threatened and manipulated by mayors. Councilor Kabelo Tshabele, Chair of Madibeng Local municipality MPAC, said there is no support staff to assist them. In some municipalities like Dr Kenneth Kaunda District, one councillor alleged that the MPAC has completed their investigation and was also assisted by the Risk Committee but caucus has stopped it. He said the report was with them but it cannot be tabled at council as both the Mayor and the Speaker are stopping it.
Responding to the issues raised, Chairperson of the forum of the provincial MPACs, Hon. Hlomane Chauke, said SCOPA will not accept any Annual Report from the municipalities without the MPAC oversight report.
“We need to support our theme which is, MPAC for a better Oversight and Accountability. “Go back to your municipality and fight for your offices to be capacitated. We have heard the presentation from the Department of Local Government that MPAC offices in municipalities are receiving equipment like computers to assist and capacitate them. A provision should be made by council to ensure functionality of the MPACs in terms of staff, office space, desktops, recorders and stationary,” said Hon. Chauke.
In responding to questions of being threatened, Hon Chauke said they must be prepared to fight for their communities. “To clean governance you have to dig deep and in the process not all will be happy but be prepared to fight for your communities.
“Get angry because this is not what Mandela stood for. Oversight must be robust and not buy faces,” said the Chairperson.
The Secretary General of the Association of Public Accounts Commitees, Mr Sipho Makama presented the final draft of the MPAC booklet. In the presentation, Mr Makama stressed that the autonomy of oversight committees must be upheld and that MPACs do not account to Mayors but Speakers.
“Do not use Public Accounts to enhance your role in government because you want to be a mayor, but use it to promote clean governance,” said Mr Makama
The meeting resolved that they will convene a meeting with the four district chairpersons to discuss a way forward that will be communicated to all MPAC members.
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