GRDM responds to Good's deviation concerns

The Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) has defended its use of procurement deviations after the Good Party raised its concerns over deviations amounting to more than R1m during council proceedings on 27 January.

- Michelle Pienaar

Good's Rosa Louw.

(george.gov.za)

Good's Rosa Louw criticised what she described as "unhealthy" deviations during the October and November 2025 financial periods, warning that poor planning could lead to fruitless expenditure and corruption.

However, the municipality says these deviations were approved in line with supply chain management (SCM) regulations, were fully disclosed to Council, and are a necessary mechanism to ensure uninterrupted service delivery.

Breakdown of deviations

According to the GRDM's MMC for Financial Services, Dave Swart, the deviations formed part of a public council item tabled on 27 January.

For October 2025, the approved deviations totalled R734 028.12, with the largest portion attributed to Roads and Transport Planning Services (R569 116.23), followed by the Office of the Municipal Manager (R110 273.97).