Gauteng to hold local govt summit tackling challenges facing municipalities

JOHANNESBURG - The Gauteng government will hold a local government summit on Wednesday to tackle critical challenges facing municipalities.

In recent years, municipalities in the province have faced significant difficulties, exacerbated by political instability stemming from unstable coalition arrangements.

Emfuleni is currently the worst-performing municipality in the province, struggling to pay salaries on time.

The Emfuleni Local Municipality owes Eskom over R8 billion, accounting for 10% of the total debt municipalities owe the power utility.

The latest report from the Auditor-General has also revealed that several municipalities in the province have been violating procurement laws.

Financial mismanagement continues to be a significant challenge, with audit outcomes indicating nearly R10 billion in irregular expenditure across municipalities in the last financial year.

The Gauteng government said Wednesday’s local government summit will focus on financial sustainability and strengthening governance in municipalities.