Grocott's Mail
  • NEWS
    • Courts & Crime
    • Features
    • Politics
    • People
    • Health & Well-being
  • SPORT
    • News
    • Results
    • Sports Diary
    • Club Contacts
    • Columns
    • Sport Galleries
    • Sport Videos
  • OPINION
    • Election Connection
    • Makana Voices
    • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
    • Newtown… Old Eyes
    • Incisive View
    • Your Say
  • ARTSLIFE
    • Cue
    • Makana Sharp!
    • Visual Art
    • Literature
    • Food & Fun
    • Festivals
    • Community Arts
    • Going Places
  • OUR TOWN
    • What’s on
    • Spiritual
    • Emergency & Well-being
    • Safety
    • Civic
    • Municipality
    • Weather
    • Properties
      • Grahamstown Properties
    • Your Town, Our Town
  • OUTSIDE
    • Enviro News
    • Gardening
    • Farming
    • Science
    • Conservation
    • Motoring
    • Pets/Animals
  • ECONOMIX
    • Business News
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Personal Finance
  • EDUCATION
    • Education NEWS
    • Education OUR TOWN
    • Education INFO
  • Covid-19
  • EDITORIAL
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Trending
  • National shutdown goes off peacefully in Makhanda
  • A bond forged by mentoring
  • Ibe yimpumelelo itumente yolutsha eQhorha
  • A good financial planner is indispensable
  • Exciting encounters in LFA Premier League weekend games
  • Thembie is working towards STARDOM!
  • From Robben Island to the world
  • SACP build a house for Mama Regina after a three-year-long waiting period
Facebook Twitter Instagram
Grocott's Mail
  • NEWS
    • Courts & Crime
    • Features
    • Politics
    • People
    • Health & Well-being
  • SPORT
    • News
    • Results
    • Sports Diary
    • Club Contacts
    • Columns
    • Sport Galleries
    • Sport Videos
  • OPINION
    • Election Connection
    • Makana Voices
    • Deur ‘n Gekleurde Bril
    • Newtown… Old Eyes
    • Incisive View
    • Your Say
  • ARTSLIFE
    • Cue
    • Makana Sharp!
    • Visual Art
    • Literature
    • Food & Fun
    • Festivals
    • Community Arts
    • Going Places
  • OUR TOWN
    • What’s on
    • Spiritual
    • Emergency & Well-being
    • Safety
    • Civic
    • Municipality
    • Weather
    • Properties
      • Grahamstown Properties
    • Your Town, Our Town
  • OUTSIDE
    • Enviro News
    • Gardening
    • Farming
    • Science
    • Conservation
    • Motoring
    • Pets/Animals
  • ECONOMIX
    • Business News
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Personal Finance
  • EDUCATION
    • Education NEWS
    • Education OUR TOWN
    • Education INFO
  • Covid-19
  • EDITORIAL
Grocott's Mail
You are at:Home»NEWS»Municipal budget “devoid of any reality” – Makhanda Business Forum
NEWS

Municipal budget “devoid of any reality” – Makhanda Business Forum

Municipality must collect millions owed to it and stop wasting money, forum says
Grocott's MailBy Grocott's MailMarch 16, 2023Updated:March 16, 2023No Comments2 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
Richard Gaybba, chairperson of the Makhanda Business Forum, speaking at the municipality's 2023 IDP meeting for Wards 8 and 12, held 14 March in the City Hall. Photo: Steven Lang.

by Staff Reporter

The Makhanda Business Forum has renewed its calls for the municipality to collect the R759.7 million it is owed by residents, business, industry, and government departments.

The municipality told residents gathered at the Ward Eight and 12 Integrated Development Plan (IDP) meeting in the City Hall on 14 March that government departments owed it R14.8 million.

Business and industry owed R69.4 million. The biggest debtors are residents who owe R672.9 million, although much of this amount is said to be historical arrears, miscalculated bills, or debts built up by indigent residents.

According to documents provided by the municipality at the meeting, R2.6 million is owed by “other”.

“It is your job to collect money, not our job. You have control. It is shameful that you are owed R759 million” said Makhanda Business Forum chairperson Richard Gaybba.

Gaybba said the municipality must reveal exactly how much money it was owed by municipal employees and councillors, who are not permitted to build up arrears on their municipal payments for more than 90 days.

Stating that the budget was “devoid of any reality”, Gaybba queried why the municipality budgeted each year for a surplus of over R100 million, yet the money was nowhere to be found and the municipality was in deficit instead.

He also asked how it was possible for the municipal budget for 2021/22 to be about R607 million, and for the Auditor-General to find R577.4 million of unauthorised expenditure and R7.8 million of fruitless and wasteful expenditure in the same year.

“That means you can only account for R30 million” Gaybba said to the municipal executive team members who were present.

One year ago, the Supreme Court of Appeal ordered the provincial government to make sure that Makana municipality abided by a financial recovery plan imposed in 2021 after the municipality built up over R800 million in debt.

Gaybba said the municipality’s budget did not align with the compulsory financial recovery plan.

“The ship has sunk, it is not sinking. There is a lack of response. We need swift action and accountability” he added.

Municipal manager Phumelelo Kate said the municipality had developed an action plan to address financial irregularities and it would be tabled in the next Council meeting.

Previous ArticleWall-to-Wall Creation
Next Article George Jacques Primary gates finally open
Grocott's Mail

Comments are closed.

Tweets by Grocotts
Newsletter



Listen

The Rhodes University Community Engagement Division has launched Engagement in Action, a new podcast which aims to bring to life some of the many ways in which the University interacts with communities around it. Check it out below.

Humans of Makhanda

Humans of Makhanda

Weather    |     About     |     Advertise     |     Subscribe     |     Contact     |     Support Grocott’s Mail

© 2023 Maintained by School of Journalism & Media Studies.

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.