GOOD Statement by Suzette Little, GOOD City of Cape Town Councillor:
The Auditor-General’s findings regarding procurement processes within the City of Cape Town have vindicated concerns that residents, community activists, and opposition parties have been raising for years.
For too long, legitimate questions about tender processes, supply chain management, policy amendments, condonation practices, procurement oversight, and governance failures have been dismissed as political noise. Those who dared question the City’s narrative were labelled negative, uninformed, or accused of undermining the so-called “best-run city” in South Africa.
The Auditor-General’s findings tell a different story.
The City of Cape Town’s regression from a clean audit outcome to an unqualified audit with findings is not a minor administrative matter. It is a significant downgrade that raises serious questions about governance, accountability, and oversight within the City’s administration.
For years, the City’s clean audit status has been used as a shield against criticism and as proof that all was well within the administration. The Auditor-General’s findings demonstrate that audit outcomes should never be treated as a substitute for transparency, accountability, and rigorous oversight. A clean audit is not a licence to ignore legitimate concerns, nor does it place any administration above scrutiny.
The finding that weaknesses existed in the evaluation of bids and compliance with procurement requirements is deeply concerning.
More importantly, it confirms that concerns surrounding procurement governance were neither imagined nor politically motivated. They were real, persistent, and deserving of serious attention.
These findings cannot be viewed in isolation. They emerge against the backdrop of ongoing investigations, allegations, and law enforcement actions involving procurement-related matters within the City. Residents will recall the raids and investigations that have shone a spotlight on procurement practices and raised serious questions about whether adequate safeguards exist to prevent irregular expenditure, abuse of public resources, and potential corruption.
While the Auditor-General has not made findings of corruption, the report reinforces the need for greater scrutiny of procurement processes and strengthens calls for full transparency wherever public funds are at risk.
What is particularly troubling is that these concerns did not emerge overnight. Year after year, issues relating to supply chain management have surfaced through various oversight processes. At the same time, residents have repeatedly complained about declining service delivery, project delays, and a growing disconnect between the City’s public relations narrative and the lived reality experienced by communities across Cape Town.
The City’s response has been to dispute the Auditor-General’s findings and prepare for legal action. While the City is entitled to pursue every legal avenue available to it, litigation cannot substitute accountability.
Residents deserve answers. Who was responsible for ensuring compliance with procurement regulations? What corrective action has been taken? How many contracts may have been affected by inadequate evaluation procedures? What consequences will follow for those entrusted with safeguarding public resources?
The City Manager occupies the most senior administrative office in the municipality and bears responsibility for the effective administration of the City, including its procurement systems. The City Manager reports directly to the Executive Mayor and must be held accountable for ensuring that proper governance, compliance, and procurement controls are implemented and maintained.
Equally, the Mayor cannot escape political accountability for the conduct of an administration that operates under his leadership.
When audit outcomes are positive, the Mayor is often the first to celebrate them as proof of good governance. It is therefore reasonable to expect the same leadership to account for adverse findings when they arise. Accountability cannot be selective. Credit and responsibility must go hand in hand.
If the Mayor wants the credit for success, he must also accept responsibility for failure. Accountability cannot stop at the Auditor-General’s report; it must reach the highest offices of the City.
Cape Town residents deserve transparency, accountability, and assurance that every rand of public money is managed lawfully, fairly, and in the public interest. The Auditor-General’s findings must serve as a wake-up call that no institution, regardless of its reputation, should ever be beyond scrutiny.
GOOD Manifesto on Public Health Initiatives: Supporting initiatives to improve public health.
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Bunny Chow. This is a traditional South African Indian dish and usually consists of curry served in a hollowed-out half-loaf of unsliced white bread. It’s best when the bread is soft and fresh and the curry is extra spicy.
Mule Skinner
Fun South African Fact: South Africa is known as the “Rainbow Nation” thanks to its mix of cultures across the country. The status of being a cultural “melting pot” is evident in the fact that South Africa has a whopping 11 official languages: English, Afrikaans, isiZulu, isiXhosa, IsiNdebele, Sesotho, Northern Sotho, Setswana, SiSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga. Most South Africans speak more than one national language. IsiZulu is the most common first language and isiXhosa is second. Fun fact – did you know the people of Wakanda speak isiXhosa in Marvel’s Black Panther movie?