BCM Council to Account for SCOPA Directives

Statement by Leander Kruger MPL – DA Buffalo City Constituency Leader:

The Democratic Alliance caucus in Buffalo City will submit a motion compelling the municipality’s political and administrative leadership to account publicly for its response to the recommendations issued by Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts.

The motion will call on Council to require the Executive Mayor and Municipal Manager to table a comprehensive report confirming whether every required action has been initiated, which documents have been submitted, when and to whom they were submitted, and where BCM has failed to comply.

The DA will also be submitting a Promotion of Access to Information Act application for the reports, action plans, correspondence, and proof of submission.

SCOPA’s formal report, dated 19 August 2026 and subsequently tabled in Parliament, gave BCM 30 days to implement, or begin implementing, a series of urgent measures.

Calculated from the date of the report, that period expires this Friday.

BCM and the Buffalo City Metropolitan Development Agency were called upon to implement an action plan addressing persistent audit findings, establish a fraud prevention plan, urgently vet executive management and supply chain management officials, and provide comprehensive reports on Marina Glen, Court Crescent, and Water World.

The Marina Glen and Court Crescent reports must include itemised financial reconciliations, expenditure against the original budgets, progress against the approved scope, reasons for cost overruns, implicated officials, disciplinary action, civil recovery, and criminal referrals.

For Water World, BCM must provide a detailed completion, funding, timeline, and operating plan.

It must also demonstrate that any proposed public-private partnership will protect municipal ownership, affordability, public access, and meaningful public consultation.

SCOPA further required close-out reports detailing progress on infrastructure projects, consequence management, and the implementation of recommendations made by the SIU and Auditor-General.

These reports must identify responsible officials and provide firm completion deadlines.

The parliamemtary SCOPA oversight also found that BCM has received qualified audit opinions for three consecutive years, achieved only 55% of its key service delivery targets during 2024/25, and allocated just 1% of its budget to maintenance against a norm of 8%.

Water World has consumed an estimated R121 million but remains unusable. Marina Glen’s cost reportedly increased from R6 million to R70 million, while the Court Crescent allocation increased from R50 million to at least R87 million amid serious concerns over delays, defects, and value for money.

SCOPA concluded that the Buffalo City Council had shown “no appetite” to investigate the misuse of public funds or implement consequence management.

The current Council cannot shirk these responsibilities, run down the clock, and leave the consequences of its failures for a new administration after the 4 November election.

Accountability cannot depend on whether individual councillors or political office-bearers return after the election. Investigations, disciplinary proceedings, civil recovery, and criminal referrals must continue regardless of whether those implicated remain in office.

The SCOPA committee has recommended a comprehensive SIU investigation into BCM’s financial management, infrastructure projects, procurement processes, major financial transactions, and any unreported or incomplete projects. It also recommended lifestyle audits of senior political office-bearers, municipal management, heads of department, and supply chain management officials.

President Cyril Ramaphosa must authorise this investigation without delay.

Those responsible for wasting public money must be pursued whether they remain in Council after 4 November or not.