SA’s Best Party in Government

Dear Editor

In yet another resounding endorsement of the DA’s record of service delivery excellence, the Auditor General confirmed once again that DA run municipalities are the best governed in the country. With 19 clean audits, the highest in the country, DA governments have proved that they are managing public funds responsibly, ensuring that every rand is spent in a manner that directly benefits the community.

Despite running 13% of municipalities in the country, either through outright majority or coalitions, 63% of DA run municipalities achieved clean audits. In contrast, with 87% of municipalities in South Africa run by the ANC, only 5% managed to achieve clean audits.

The 2022/2023 municipal audit outcomes are particularly noteworthy because the City of Cape Town is the only metro that managed to achieve a clean audit. The Auditor General commended the City of Tshwane for its improved audit outcome, which underscores the stellar work being done by Mayor Cilliers to turn around the metro after years of gross mismanagement by the ANC. These remarkable achievements underscores the DA government’s consistent focus on transparency, accountability, and sound financial management.

The fact that 95% of ANC-run municipalities failed to achieve clean audits raises serious concerns about the misuse of public funds and the lack of proper oversight. This disparity highlights a systemic issue within ANC governance, where corruption and mismanagement often take precedence over the needs of the people. In many cases, residents in ANC-run municipalities are left to bear the brunt of poor service delivery, crumbling infrastructure, and a lack of basic services, all while billions of rands are wasted or lost to corruption.

There has been significant regression in the audit outcomes of ANC run municipalities, with the AG conceding that clean audits decreased from 38 in the 2021/2022 financial year to 34 in the current financial year. These municipalities are responsible for fruitless and wasteful expenditure which has continued to increase, from R4,89 billion last year to R7,41 billion in 2022-23. The regression comes on the back of R1,35 billion having been spent on consultants.

The DA has bucked this trend and the clean audits reflect a deep-seated culture of accountability within DA-led municipalities, where public officials are held to the highest standards, and there is a relentless focus on ensuring that public resources are used to improve the lives of all residents.

The DA’s ability to achieve clean audits even in challenging environments demonstrates that with the right leadership and a commitment to ethical governance, it is possible to deliver results that positively impact people’s lives.

In contrast to the instability and mismanagement seen elsewhere, the DA’s governments remain focused on building a government that prioritises the needs of residents over political self-interest. Our track record speaks for itself; where the DA governs, people experience tangible progress in service delivery, infrastructure development, and financial sustainability. The audit outcomes and performance reports once again confirm that where the DA governs, we govern well.

Regards

Cathy Labuschagne MP
DA Spokesperson on COGTA