KZN MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Department (Cogta) Sipho Hlomuka today disclosed the latest figures for Covid-19 expenditure by KZN’s municipalities when he briefed members of KZN Legislature’s Cogta Portfolio Committee.
This latest expenditure report accounted for the period between 15 March 2020 and 11 September 2020 and revealed that municipalities have spent R749.5-million on Covid-19-related expenditure.
The department has directed municipalities to ensure that mayors table detailed reports on Covid-19 expenditure to councils for adoption. Such expenditure is to be included in the Special Adjustments Budget allowed for in respect of 2019/2020 by the National Treasury Circular 99 by 15 June 2020.
The department has also asked councils to assess expenditure on extraordinary measures introduced as a result of Covid-19 lockdown and consider a comprehensive council item with financial and non-financial reports in the context of the regulations for urgent and emergency spending to prevent unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure.
“While we appreciate that municipalities are an independent sphere of government, we have a responsibility to ensure that we thoroughly assess any expenditure to ascertain whether all relevant policies were followed in this procurement,” said Hlomuka.
The top 11 municipalities with the highest Covid-19 expenditure in KZN are:
| No. | MUNICIPALITY | AMOUNT
(R) |
| 1. | Ethekwini | 475,169,850 |
| 2. | Umhlathuze | 89,678,759 |
| 3. | Ugu | 28,876,322 |
| 4. | Msunduzi | 23,867,489 |
| 5. | Umzinyathi | 13,800,821 |
| 6. | Uphongolo | 12,918,763 |
| 7. | Ilembe | 8,749,406 |
| 8. | Jozini | 8,685,892 |
| 9. | Umdoni | 6,043,900 |
| 10. | Mthonjaneni | 5,650,284 |
| 11. | KwaDukuza | 4,796,432 |
Ends.