The Free State is currently the worst performing province in South Africa. Citing governance problems and financial failures in virtually all municipalities, the Auditor General’s Consolidated General Report (2024-2025) confirms what long-term residents have seen happening for years…
Serious administrative errors, financial mismanagement and poor compliance characterize the province. Long story short, local government in the Free State remains weak across the board. Notes from Auditor General Tsakani Maluleke 57% of municipalities repeated the 2020/21 audit results, while 15% actually deteriorated even further.
NO ONE WANTS TO BE IN THE FREE STATE
In the meantime, 39 municipalities (15% of the total) achieved national clean audits. It is no surprise that the Western Cape remains South Africa’s strongest performer. And provinces such as the Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and North West showed only minimal progress. Moreover, the AGSA raises concerns about Gauteng’s performance, especially in light of its economic importance in the country.
However, the audit results clearly highlight the Free State’s problems. A ‘disclaimed audit’ represents the worst possible outcome possible. One so bad that auditors don’t even have enough evidence to form an opinion about how really bad things are. The Free State registered as such five rejected audits this year. Meanwhile, the Northern Cape and North West recorded one each. Three of the seven repeatedly rejected audits in South Africa all belonged to the ANC-administered province.
MISSED SUBMISSION DEADLINES
Several municipalities in the Free State have completely missed the filing deadline. This didn’t happen anywhere else in the country. Clean municipal audits have already eluded the Free State seven years run. Some municipalities have never produced one. Moreover, material irregularities indicate large financial lossesfraud or serious public harm, the AGSA report warns.
In fact, a fifth of all material irregularities at national level can be traced to Free State audits. The province, alongside Gauteng and Mpumalanga, shows the the largest number of municipalities with a deficit (spending more money than coming in). Teasing unauthorized expenditure 91% of the provincial municipalities. Payment delays with suppliers are also the worst in the Free State 174 days for companies that depend on municipal funds.
WHO IS TO BLAME?
Of course, opposition parties blame the African National Congress (ANC) about the years of decline. The Freedom Front Plus directly blames the ANC’s governance culture. And the Democratic Alliance (DA) blames political infighting and the remaining vacant of critical posts. Money is wasted on expensive third-party providers, which only further exacerbates governance failures. Therefore, both parties have called for the immediate appointment of independent directors.
But what do you think? Does the ANC still have the ability to govern the Free State? Or have years of poor service delivery and crumbling infrastructure driven a wedge between them and the people they were elected to serve? Be sure to share your thoughts in the comments below…
Ray Leathern
www.thesouthafrican.com
