Northern Cape delegates from the National Council of Provinces are conducting inspections of housing and key public infrastructure projects across the Province. Their visits, taking place from September 17 to 20, include assessments of houses in Ritchie, nurses’ accommodation in Kimberley, and an abandoned road project in Pniel.
NATIONAL Council of Provinces (NCOP) Northern Cape delegates are inspecting houses and critical public infrastructure projects across the Province, including houses in Ritchie, the nurses’ accommodation in Kimberley and an abandoned road project in Pniel, from September 17 to 20.
During a visit to Ritchie on Tuesday, the Deputy Speaker of the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature, Mangaliso Matika, pointed out that bulk infrastructure projects in the Province were characterised by delayed service delivery and poor workmanship.
“This programme must ensure that these prolonged impediments are overcome and never happen again,” said Matika.
Premier Zamani Saul added that one of the Province’s major initiatives was its investment in water and sanitation bulk infrastructure projects.
“This is significant because water and sanitation challenges in the Province have led to water restrictions in some communities. This challenge is coupled with the backlog of ageing water and sanitation infrastructure that requires regular maintenance and refurbishment. The rehabilitation of road infrastructure is another priority area in the Province,” said Saul.
He added that 18 implementing agents and various contractors had been appointed to oversee the implementation of the R1 billion housing project in the Northern Cape.
Saul indicated that the housing project had turned the Province into a “construction site”.
Simon du Plessis from the Office of the Auditor-General provided the NCOP delegation with the emerging audit trends and governance challenges faced by various local municipalities in the Province.
He noted that municipalities continue to grapple with compliance with legislation and keeping quality financial statements.
“This affects the audit ecosystem of many municipalities, despite some municipalities that hire consultants to compile their financial statements,” Du Plessis added.
He also highlighted the need for consequence management for irregularities, as it compromised the governance and stability of many municipalities.
He added that municipalities need to investigate the root causes of irregular and fruitless expenditure.
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