The Stellenbosch Municipality boasts a 14th consecutive clean audit, following a report by the Auditor General, for its 2021-’22 financial year.
This, according to municipal spokesperson, Stuart Grobbelaar, is a tribute to sound financial management and good governance, which builds a municipality more well-equipped to deliver services to all residents.
In a statement on Monday 20 February Stellenbosch Mayor Adv Gesie van Deventer said the municipality has instilled a culture of good governance and accountability within it, unmatched when taking into consideration the audit outcomes of many similar municipalities in other parts of South Africa.
“I am proud of the hard work our councillors and officials are doing to ensure sound financial management practices at the municipality,” she added. “There is a clear commitment that every cent of municipal spending must be accounted for in a transparent manner. For this we can indeed be proud and we must continuously work to improve even further.”
Van Deventer said there will always be many challenges at local government level, but political stability and commitment by politicians to see their tasks through to the end, brings with its financial stability. “With financial stability we can achieve so much more to the benefit of all residents.”
The Democratic Alliance (DA) Constituency Head in Stellenbosch, Dr Leon Schreiber, on Monday, praised Stellenbosch Municipality saying the DA was proud that the DA-led Stellenbosch Municipality had obtained yet another clean audit for the 2021-’22 financial year. “This is the 14th consecutive year Stellenbosch obtains an unqualified audit, indicating that the municipality is in a healthy financial position and that all money spent is properly accounted for,” he said. “We congratulate Mayor Gesie van Deventer and her dedicated team of DA councillors for this achievement.
“In the midst of the collapse of ANC-run municipalities around the country, Stellenbosch Municipality is a flagship of good governance. From prudent financial management to world-class service delivery, there can be little doubt that Stellenbosch ranks among the very best municipalities in South Africa.
“While the DA is proud of our proven track record of excellent governance in Stellenbosch, a lot of hard work lies ahead. Like the rest of the country, our communities are subjected to the worsening load-shedding crisis that is destroying jobs, livelihoods and causing an increase in crime. While the ANC national government continues to fail to address this crisis, DA-run Stellenbosch is working day and night to mitigate its impacts by reducing our reliance on Eskom.”
