Overview
Gauteng’s finance MEC, Nkululeko Dunga, shared the latest audit results for the province’s 11 municipalities. Only two received a clean audit for the 2024/25 financial year, while the rest showed various levels of concern. He linked the numbers directly to everyday problems in communities like Makause informal settlement.
Audit Outcomes at a Glance
- Clean audits: 2 municipalities
- Unqualified with findings: 6 municipalities
- Qualified opinions: 3 municipalities
The six with unqualified opinions but findings include Mogale City, Rand West City, Sedibeng District, Lesedi Local Municipality and a couple of others grouped together. Johannesburg and Ekurhuleni slipped from unqualified to qualified this year.
What the Numbers Mean for Residents
Dunga stressed that audit results are not just paperwork. They show up as:
- Children drinking water that makes them sick
- Toilets left unclean for weeks
- Ambulances stuck because roads are impassable
- Unemployment and poor sanitation
He said, “What the Auditor‑General calls a qualified opinion is Makause informal settlement. It’s the water your children drink, the toilet that hasn’t been cleaned, the ambulance that can’t reach your gate.”
Spotlight on the Best Performers
- Midvaal Local Municipality – clean audit for 13 straight years
- West Rand District Municipality – clean audit for two consecutive years
Dunga praised them as proof that clean governance is possible when leaders commit to it.
Areas Still Struggling
- Mogale City started the year with zero unauthorized, irregular, fruitless and wasteful spending, but past losses still need to be recovered.
- Lesedi – the mayor’s house was burned; Dunga condemned violence and urged accountability through legal channels.
- City of Tshwane – highest irregular expenditure in Gauteng: R12.17 billion over four years, leading to massive water and electricity losses.
- City of Johannesburg – R6.55 billion irregular, R6.81 billion unauthorized, R400 million fruitless and wasteful over four years, causing landfill mismanagement, underused bus stations and polluted water sources.
- City of Ekurhuleni – regression described as “more alarming”; R620 million irregular, R400 million unauthorized (second year only), R80 million fruitless and wasteful over three years, with polluted water sources and ICT procurement issues.
- Emfuleni – Eskom debt written off; Dunga warned this is a second chance, not an achievement.
Disputes and Resolutions
Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Emfuleni challenged their audit findings, but every dispute was settled in favour of the Auditor‑General.
Wider Trends in Gauteng
- Only 42 % of municipalities submitted good‑quality performance reports.
- Irregular expenditure rose from R6.6 billion (2020/21) to R14.44 billion (2024/25).
- Over the current administration, Gauteng municipalities have piled up R45.92 billion in irregular spending.
- Common problem areas: expenditure management, procurement, financial statement misstatements, and weak consequence management.
Conclusion
Dunga called for stronger action from the Auditor‑General, urging the use of referral and binding remedial powers to hold accounting officers accountable. He reminded everyone that the audit figures translate into real‑life struggles—sick children, broken infrastructure, and lost opportunities. Improving financial management isn’t just about numbers; it’s about delivering safe water, working toilets, reliable transport and trustworthy services to every Gauteng resident.
