George Municipality’s Mismanagement and Misuse of Consultants

GOOD Statement by Rosa Louw, GOOD George Municipality Councillor:

The GOOD Party has expressed deep concern over escalating mismanagement within the George Municipality, where millions of rands are being spent each month while critical posts remain vacant and service delivery continues to decline.

During a special council meeting today, it was revealed that the municipality’s monthly salary expenditure stands at R7.8 million, yet many budgeted positions remain unfilled. Instead, consultants, including retired officials, are being brought back to occupy these posts, while residents across George face growing unemployment and collapsing basic services.

Every day, the GOOD office receives complaints about poor service delivery, and the reason is simple: the people required to do the work are not being appointed.

GOOD calls for a formal investigation into the municipality’s use of consultants, the large number of unfilled vacancies, and the lack of accountability from the Municipal Manager.

The municipality’s financial reporting raises red flags, including:

• Contracted services underspent by 49% due to unrecorded VOC expenses; and

• Creditors’ accounts outstanding for more than 30 days without explanation, increasing the risk of fruitless and wasteful expenditure.

GOOD condemns the irregular procurement of security services worth R19 million over six months, allegedly using a Regulation 36 deviation to bypass transparent and competitive tender processes. This appears to be a deliberate attempt to sidestep accountability and pursue a specific agenda. The reasons provided for the deviation are not reasonable, and GOOD demands that the Municipal Manager urgently investigate and table a full report before Council.

GOOD reiterates its commitment to ensuring that municipal funds are used transparently, fairly, and in the service of the residents of George, not to benefit a select few through misuse of consultants and irregular appointments.

GOOD Manifesto on Responsible Citizenship: Promoting responsible citizenship and civic participation.

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