DA Delivery Daily Fact #18: Sound financial management means better service delivery

Lindiwe Mazibuko, DA National Spokesperson
21 April 2011

For each of the five years the DA has been in control of the City of Cape Town, it has received an unqualified audit from the Auditor-General. This history of sound financial management is also found in those other municipalities managed by the DA, a testament to good planning and efficient management.

The evidence

A 2010 National Treasury report singled out the City of Cape Town for special praise. It highlighted the City’s ‘robust financial systems’ and job-creation track record, putting it well ahead of other metros in South Africa. Significantly, it mentioned Cape Town’s sixth successive unqualified audit (it has since then achieved a seventh), welcomed the “good planning and adequate capacity to spend by the City”, and praised Cape Town for collecting the highest proportion of its budgeted revenue of any metropolitan government in South Africa (96.4%).

All of these are a consequence of Cape Town’s excellent, transparent and accountable financial management. And good financial management means better service delivery. This trend is not unique to Cape Town either. In Midvaal, for example, the municipality this year received its eighth unqualified audit from the Auditor-General, a further indication of clean and efficient financial management. The Mossel Bay municipality also received its fourth consecutive unqualified audit from the Auditor-General this year. Theewaterskloof, too, is a good example of the positive effect a DA administration has had: In 2005/06 Theewaterskloof received five audit qualifications. This was reduced to one in 2006/07 and since then, the last four audits have been unqualified.

Related documents

•    The Cape Town Story
•    The Cape Town Story Fact Sheet
•    Midvaal Fact Sheet
•    Theewaterskloof Fact Sheet
•    Mossel Bay Fact Sheet