Concerns raised by the Auditor-General about financial management and governance within the Msukaligwa Local Municipality have prompted municipal leadership to introduce a recovery plan aimed at strengthening oversight and improving service delivery.
Addressing council on 2 March 2026 following the presentation of the audit findings, Executive Mayor Alderwoman MP Nkosi acknowledged weaknesses identified in the report, including shortcomings in financial management, supply chain processes, record-keeping and internal controls.
Nkosi said these issues affect both compliance and public confidence in the municipality, adding that the leadership has accepted the findings and committed to corrective action.
According to the mayor, council has already adopted an audit action plan intended to address the concerns raised and strengthen governance structures within the municipality.
Six pillars for governance reform
Nkosi outlined six key pillars that will guide the municipality’s response to the audit findings.
These include strengthening ethical leadership and consequence management, improving governance and oversight, stabilising finance and supply chain units, combating irregular and wasteful expenditure, promoting economic development and ensuring that governance reforms translate into improved service delivery.
She emphasised that filling critical vacancies in the finance department and strengthening internal audit functions will be key to improving financial oversight.
100-day recovery plan introduced
As part of the response, the municipality has launched a 100-day recovery plan aimed at stabilising governance, restoring financial controls and accelerating service delivery.
The first phase will focus on implementing the audit action plan, reviewing irregular expenditure cases and identifying priority service delivery failures requiring urgent attention.
A mayoral “turnaround war room” will also be established to monitor progress on a weekly basis.
Further steps include strengthening supply chain compliance, conducting revenue cleansing, intensifying debt collection and reviewing the municipality’s indigent register.
Focus on service delivery improvements
Nkosi said governance reforms must ultimately translate into tangible improvements in basic services, including water supply, road maintenance, electricity provision and waste collection.
She added that progress reports on the implementation of the action plan will be submitted to council to track improvements and reduce recurring audit findings.
Concluding her address, Nkosi said the municipality intends to use the audit findings as a roadmap for reform.
“This moment is not one of defeat, but one of correction and renewal,” she said.