Midvaal stands out as ONLY Gauteng municipality with unqualified audit

Of the 11 municipalities in Gauteng, only one has achieved a clean audit, leading the provincial government to emphasise the need for better compliance.

For the 2022/2023 financial year, Midvaal Municipality stood out as the sole municipality in Gauteng to earn an unqualified audit opinion with no findings.

The recently released Auditor-General’s report shows that six other municipalities in Gauteng received unqualified audit opinions but with findings, while the remaining municipalities were given adverse opinions.

In response, Gauteng Finance MEC Lebogang Maile announced at a media briefing that the provincial government will increase training efforts for senior managers at under-performing municipalities to address these issues.

"Midvaal Municipality is a very small municipality. I think their entire budget is around just under R2 billion."

- Thabiso Goba, EWN Reporter

ALSO IN THE MIDDAY REPORT:

Freedom Under Law challenges NA's decision to impeach John Hlophe to serve on JSC

Freedom Under Law (FUL) has criticised the National Assembly for evading responsibility by approving the uMkhonto weSizwe Party's (MK) nomination of the impeached judge John Hlophe to serve as a commissioner on the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).

FUL described this decision as "deeply irrational," arguing that appointing a disgraced judge to the JSC undermines the body's integrity.

Advocate Wim Trengrove contended that the Assembly should have exercised discretion in evaluating whether Hlophe’s nomination served the public interest and if he was the most qualified candidate for the position. 

Trengove made these arguments before a full bench of judges from the Gauteng division on Friday.

Hlophe is one of ten Members of Parliament (MPs) nominated by various parties to represent Parliament on the JSC, which is responsible for interviewing and appointing judges.

"Freedom Under Law is not looking for an interim interdict of any kind which the DA is."

- Lindsay Dentlinger, EWN Reporter

Cabinet calls for zero-tolerance approach to extortion

Cabinet has advocated for a zero-tolerance stance on the escalating issue of extortion, emphasising that it not only harms individuals but also undermines the economy.

Acting Minister in the Presidency Maropene Ramokgopa addressed the media today, summarising the outcomes of Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting.

She said that South Africa is adopting international best practices to formulate effective strategies to combat extortion decisively

"Quite a lengthy statement from the Acting Minister which touched a number of issues, mainly corruption as well as SOEs."

- Babalo Ndenze, EWN Reporter

Senzo Meyiwa trial: Ballistics expert under cross-examination

In the Senzo Meyiwa trial, the state's ballistic expert has been accused of involvement in tampering with the crime scene he investigated following the footballer's murder.

Ballistics expert Chris Mangena has been undergoing cross-examination for over a week in the Pretoria High Court.

His findings, which connect a bullet found at the crime scene to a gun possessed by one of the accused, Mthobisi Mncube, are now being contested.

Mncube, along with four others, is charged with the murder of Bafana Bafana captain Senzo Meyiwa, who was killed in October 2014.

"The ballistics evidence before court only implicates accused number three, so legal aid is saying that they will pay for the ballistics expert but only when the cross-examination is being done by a lawyer for accused number three."

- Kgomotso Modise, EWN Reporter

Book of the week: 'The Super Cadres: ANC Misrule in the Age of Deployment by Pieter du Toit'

For 30 years, the ANC has governed South Africa, transitioning from the hopeful days of the Rainbow Nation to a period marked by dysfunction and despair.

In "The Super Cadres," bestselling author Pieter du Toit explores this evolution, tracing the journey from the early optimism to the current disillusionment under President Ramaphosa.

Du Toit poses critical questions and arrives at a stark conclusion:

• What was the state of the ANC when it assumed power?
• Was the ANC's failure inevitable due to the legacy of apartheid, making success unattainable?
• When did signs of misrule and corruption first emerge?
• How did each presidency, from Mandela to Ramaphosa, contribute to the trajectory of failure?
• What actions did Cyril Ramaphosa take to combat state capture while serving as deputy president?

Du Toit argues that at the core of the ANC’s – and by extension, the state’s – failure lies the policy of ‘cadre deployment,’ instituted under President Thabo Mbeki.

He illustrates how this practice of appointing party loyalists to key government positions gradually blurred the lines between party and state, leading to widespread incompetence and rampant corruption, particularly under Jacob Zuma’s presidency.

"I've always been very interested in where the big turning points were."

- Pieter du Toit, Author

Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the interviews.