eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality is in disarray, says SIU report

THE eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality has become notorious for being one of the worst-run and corrupt local governments in the country.

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How else can one explain why the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has investigated this metro on more than one occasion?

The SIU is an independent statutory body that was established in terms of the Special Investigating Units and Special Tribunals Act, Act No. 74 of 1996 (SIU Act).

Its primary mandate is to investigate serious allegations of corruption, malpractice and maladministration in the administration of state institutions, state assets, and public money, as well as any conduct which may seriously harm the interests of the public, and to recover any financial losses suffered by state institutions through civil litigation.

While the SIU has been doing its job of investigating corruption, the question remains as to whether its recommendations are implemented.

It is now an open secret in South Africa that there is widespread corruption in the public sector and that mismanagement of state resources remains common.

One of the main reasons why maladministration is so common in South Africa is that suspected culprits continue to get away with wrongdoing and breaking the law.

Even when the law takes its course, it appears to target small fish while the big fish almost always evade accountability and the full might of the law.

Of all the three spheres of government, mismanagement and corruption appear to be common in local government and have severely affected the delivery of services.

Even the delivery of basic services such as water supply and collection of trash are no longer guaranteed, while cities and towns are left bankrupt.

As the sphere of government that happens to be closest to the people, local government is generally perceived to be unresponsive and unaccountable to the people it is supposed to serve, with officials seen to be enriching themselves by fleecing the state.