Another Clean Audit in 2014/15 – WCDLG Annual Report

The Department of Local Government in the Western Cape tabled yet another Annual Report with a Clean Audit opinion before the Standing Committee on Local Government this morning.

Anton Bredell, the minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning in the Western Cape, has welcomed the department’s performance in the latest financial year to 31 March 2015.

“This department keeps managing to do sterling work. Over the past five years access to basic services in all municipalities across this province has increased dramatically. In the Western Cape access to piped water is currently at 99.1% of the population, access to sanitation is 96.4% and electricity at 93.4%. These figures are among the highest for the country and comes despite a growing increase in the population of the Western Cape.”

The department has achieved a number of highlights in the financial year under review. These include:

    As at end of March 2015, there were 6 890 work opportunities created through the Community Works Program across the Western Cape Province. 
    All 30 Western Cape municipalities have functional performance management systems.
    Kannaland and Theewaterskloof municipalities were supported to establish new Thusong Service Centres.
    Bergrivier and Bitou municipalities were assisted with Electrical Master Planning.
    Annual Fire and Flood Awareness campaign went to 26 schools and reached approximately 11500 learners
    The Wolwekloof facility has been established as a training centre.
    Just over 97% of the available Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) funding for capital projects was spent succesfully.
    Successful enabling and enhancing of fire fighting abilities in the province resulted in the ability to extinguish up to 95% of all wildfires in the Western Cape within an hour of detection.

Bredell says despite the excellent performance by the department, a lot remains to be done.
“Poverty, unemployment and inequality keeps catching up. And budgets keep shrinking. We need to look at doing things differently. This is one of the things the department’s experts keep looking at – ways to do things better.”

The Minister commended his department and the officials involved and congratulated them on another clean audit opinion.