KZN recognises municipalities with clean audits

Local government representatives from municipalities across the province gathered at Durban's Inkosi Albert Luthuli ICC last night for the 2016 Municipal Excellence Awards.  

Co-operative Governance MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube said the province has come a long way. 

She says not a single municipality achieved a clean audit in 2010.

''As we head towards the Local Government elections on August 3, we are now standing at 87% of municipalities' residents that are already enjoying access to water. 

''We are standing at 86% of our communities that are enjoying access to electricity. 90% of our people enjoy access to dignified sanitation, housing projects, access to facilities as well as municipal governance,'' she said.

Mayor of the Hibiscus Coast Municipality, Nomusa Mqwebu attributes the achievement to hard work. 

"We sat down with [municipal officials] and we said we need to get this clean audit. I said to them, yes I do want the clean audit but it must go parallel with service delivery. That is what happened and we want to continue with that,'' she said.

Meanwhile, uMgungundlovu District Municipality mayor, Yusuf Bhamjee says the formula for success is consistency, accountability and striving for excellence.

''It is not easy, you [have] to harness a team of councillors, executive committee members, and also the municipal manager and his team and team finance. Together we can serve and strive for better results. I think we achieved that in terms of good governance practise all round and for total recognition that is team work that will deliver for our good people,'' he said.

Full List of Clean Audit Municipalities:

• eThekwini Municipality
  
• Hibiscus Municipality
  
• iLembe Municipality
  
• Ezinqolweni Municipality
  
• Mandeni Municipality
  
• Msinga Local Municipality
  
• Msunduzi Local Municipality
  
• Nquthu Local Municipality
  
• Okhahlamba Local Municipality
  
• uMdoni Local Municipality
  
• uMgungundlovu District Municipality
  
• uMhlabuyalingana Local Municipality
  
• uMhlathuze Local Municipality
  
• uMuziwabantu Local Municipality
  
• uMzumbe Local Municipality
  
• uThungulu District Municipality
  
• Zululand District Municipality
  
• uBuhlebezwe Local Municipality