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Author: Herman Pieters

30 March 2021 Media Release: 2021–2040 Garden Route Growth and Development Strategy approved by Council

Media Release: 2021–2040 Garden Route Growth and Development Strategy approved by Council

For Immediate Release
30 March 2021

The Garden Route, similar to other parts of South Africa, continues to illustrate stark contrasts of spatial and economic circumstances. In fact, the haves and the have nots are still living worlds apart, although in many instances, spatially less than a kilometre away from one another. It is for this reason that the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) spearheaded the process of changing, not only the trajectory of the Garden Route economy, but also to build prosperity with equity. At the centre of this vision is a finalised and approved long-term strategy known as the Garden Route Growth and Development Strategy (GDS). This key document has been successfully developed in collaboration with the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership (WCEDP) and was finalised today when the GRDM Council approved it.

According to Executive Manager for Planning and Economic Development at GRDM, Lusanda Menze, “COVID-19 delayed many of the consultative engagements, but this was expected in the formulation of the strategy because such a strategic document has to be consistent with internal resources and external environments”.

“The first stakeholder workshops took place on 29 and 30 October 2019, while the draft Garden Route GDS was presented to all Garden Route Local Government Mayors and Municipal Managers on 11 February 2021,” he said.

Executive Mayor, Ald. Booysen elaborated, the Garden Route GDS encompasses a few objectives, including: “A shared 20-year vision for the regional economy stretching until 2040; how to do things differently; developing a common economic agenda to improve the economic development and system relating to it.”

“What makes this strategy different is that it is intended to be a ‘living strategy’ and a ‘risk-driven strategy’”. Ald. Booysen explained: “By the descriptions we mean that the implementation, monitoring and evaluation forms part of our collective ongoing learning and ability to adapt, while at the same time the Garden Route GDS requires a collective approach in order to efficiently navigate through challenges and changes.”

The strategy is shaped by the profile and regional priorities of the district, which are divided into themes such as; water secure future, circular economy, resilient agriculture, sustainable tourism, support for well-being and resilience, sustainable local energy transition and a connected economy.  The document is further grounded in several core-principles such as being people-centred; valuing cultures; preserving ecological heritage; approaching change collaboratively; recognising uncertainties of innovation and responsiveness; being conscious of sustainable and resilient factors directly impacting the region; good governance; being mindful of constraints; and open to a changing yet interconnected and interdependent region.

The GDS for the Garden Route articulates the region’s development path. This Garden Route GDS would not have been possible without broad consultation, which greatly assisted the GRDM to build a collective and shared strategy for the Region/District. It is an aspirational strategy, which would need to align to the GRDM five-year Integrated Development Plan (IDP) going forward. This means that the Garden Route GDS frames the IDP and ventures the GRDM’s long-term ambitions, strategies and overarching decisions that will bring to effect that change the region wants to see by 2040.

Access the Garden Route District Growth and Development Strategy here.
Access the Garden Route Investment Prospectus here.

ENDS

30 March 2021 Media Statement: One finding away from a Clean Audit: Garden Route DM receives its 3rd consecutive Unqualified Audit Outcome

Media Statement: One finding away from a Clean Audit: Garden Route DM receives its third consecutive Unqualified Audit Outcome

30 March 2021
For Immediate Release

Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM), one (1) of the five (5) district municipalities in the Western Cape, obtained its third consecutive unqualified audit outcome. For the year under review (2019/2020), the Auditor-General of South Africa’s (AGSA) reported one (1) finding; an improvement for the GRDM compared to 2018/19.

Alderman Memory Booysen, Executive Mayor for GRDM welcomes the Audit outcome, and he said, “We invested a lot of time and energy in assuring that we comply with all relevant legislative prescripts in Local Government environment and that we apply the relevant standards when preparing our financial statements.

According to GRDM Municipal Manager, Monde Stratu: “There were no financial material misstatements, no performance management misstatements and no material inconsistencies reported in our Annual Report”. The only material finding identified by the AGSA relates to the composition of our Bid Adjudication Committee, which was the same finding raised in the previous audit and was corrected in November 2019, however it was raised even though it was corrected. The AGSA regarded this as a transversal matter and dealt with it as such. It was subsequently revealed by the AGSA that the GRDM is in a sound financial position.

The final step for the GRDM was to for its Municipal Public Accounts Committee (MPAC), to compile an Oversight Report in accordance with Section 129 of the Local Government Municipal Finance Management Act, 2005. This report was considered by the GRDM Council during a Special Council meeting today, 30 March 2021.

According to the GRDM Oversight Report and re-highlighted by Cllr Clodia Lichaba (MPAC Chairperson), the GRDM administration was congratulated “for maintaining an unqualified audit outcome, given the pandemic challenges. Many audit-related engagements took place during a critical time when the the institution only had skeleton staff to assist”. MPAC’s Chairperson furthermore noted that there was a vast improvement on the content of the Audit Report because of a drastic reduction in material matters.

During a GRDM Council meeting (top, left), two chairpersons logged in to discuss the Annual Report and Oversight Reports. Logged in via Zoom (right), Dr Adele Potgieter (Chairperson: Audit and Performance Audit Committee) and at the bottom, Cllr Clodia Lichaba (Chairperson: Municipal Public Accounts Committee).

The finding – Composition of the Bid Adjudication Committee

In the 2018/19 Auditors were of the view that the competitive bids were adjudicated by a bid adjudication committee that was not composed in accordance with Supply Chain Management Regulations 29(2), which provide guidance for the composition of Bid Adjudication Committees.

This regulation reads:

–  a bid adjudication committee must consist of at least four senior managers of the municipality or municipal entity which must include

(i) the chief financial officer or, if the chief financial officer is not available, another manager in the budget and treasury office reporting directly to the chief financial officer and designated by the chief financial officer;

(ii) at least one senior supply chain management practitioner who is an official of the municipality or municipal entity;

(iii) and a technical expert in the relevant field who is an official of the municipality or municipal entity, if the municipality or municipal entity has such an expert.

After the above finding was raised by the AGSA in 2018/19, management swiftly and formally appointed the Manger: Supply Chain Management, as a member of the BAC. This appointment was done during that audit in November 2019.  At the time of the AGSA’s final report, this was already corrected.

However, the same finding that was raised in 2018/19 and corrected in November 2019, has again been raised as a repeat finding, in the current year’s audit (2019/20 Audit). Management disputed this finding and it was referred to the AGSA Technical Unit. The reason for this dispute was based on the following premises:

  • That the matter was raised in previous audit as material finding affecting the audit opinion. The matter was immediately corrected even before the conclusion of 2018/19 audit.
  • Management is of the view that it serves no purpose to again raise the material finding that has already been rectified. The root cause has been identified in the previous year and the defect cured. It is an exercise in futility and actually negates the principles of fairness.
  • There is no remedial action proposed by the Office of the Auditor General and therefore this results in a situation where the municipality was found guilty the previous year, was punished, served the sentence and is again subjected to the same trial even after having corrected what was wrong. This is double jeopardy, a situation frowned upon by our legal system especially in the light of the fact that the decisions of the Auditor are administrative in nature and must adhere to the principles of fairness.

The AGSA acknowledged that this finding is raised as matter of consistency and is a result of their methodology and therefore cannot be ignored. They also acknowledge that they did not recommend any action to address this finding, as the Municipality has already addressed the matter.

However, they remain of the view that the non-compliance remained “material”, when considering the period (July 2019 to October 2019) before the GRDM Supply Chain Manager was appointed as a BAC member.

The GRDM management further confirms that this finding will not re-occur in 2020/21 audit, as this matter is now settled.

GRDM remains on a path that delivers and works in the best interests of all who live in the Garden Route.

Did you know?

Clean Audit Outcomes: The financial statements are free from material misstatements and there are no findings on reporting on performance objectives or non-compliance with legislation.

Unqualified Audit Opinions: The financial statements contain no material misstatements. Findings may have been made on either reporting on predetermined objectives or non-compliance with legislation, or both these aspects.

Qualified Audit Opinions: The financial statements contain material misstatements in specific amounts, or there is insufficient evidence for us to conclude that specific amounts included in the financial statements are not materially misstated.

Disclaimer of Opinion: On some occasions, an AQ is unable to complete an accurate audit report. This may occur for a variety of reasons, such as an absence of appropriate financial records. When this happens, the auditor issues a disclaimer of opinion, stating that an opinion of the firm’s financial status could not be determined.

ENDS

30 March 2021 Executive Mayor’s Speech – GRDM Council Meeting

Executive Mayor’s Speech – GRDM Ordinary Council Meeting on 30 March 2021

Mr Speaker

I would like to make use of this opportunity to officially welcome Cllr Barker. Cllr Barker, I echo what my fellow Councillors have uttered. We are indeed a team and you are more than welcome to form part of this team; it is also correct that we work together and do not pull rank. This means in essence that every Councillor’s voice is equally important.

Mr Speaker – I would like to remind all Garden Routers, Western Cape communities and South Africans to adhere to the COVID-19 protocols that are in place. I do sense that there is still COVID-19 fatigue and that we are not witnessing now what we witness at the beginning of the pandemic when people were more careful. I would therefore like to emphasise that with the Easter weekend being upon us, I do not have to expand in details about the risks associated with it, for instance issues associated with big congregations and the spread of the virus. It remains our plea as political leaders that we need to still exercise extreme caution – stick to the regulations and try their best to keep their social distancing. For that matter, between as Garden Route District Municipality, the South African Local Government Association and the United Nations, a couple of weeks ago we distributed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to all municipalities in the Garden Route to signify that COVID-19 is still with us. Mr Speaker, we are concerned that the roll-out of the vaccine is not being done as quickly as all of us expected, but those high up who have such decision making powers and control, are dealing with that issue.

I am also extremely excited that there is a lot that Garden Route District Municipality is doing to deal with job losses because of COVID-19 and the hard lockdown. Unexpected consequences are still being faced by many of us. It is for this reason that we are on a drive to equip the youth. I have noted correspondence that some of our NQF learners are graduating soon. Some of them will be placed and others will be assisted to ensure that the training we arranged does not go to waste. Also, at the same time, there is a new intake of learners for 6 months. My plea on behalf of the GRDM Council is that we must track their progress and trace their journey to ensure that none of the skills that have been invested in them goes to waste.

Mr Speaker, a couple of weeks ago, we as this council approved funding for boreholes to be drilled in the Kannaland region, between Oudtshoorn and Calitzdorp. In terms of the Municipal Finance Management Act, it is required for us to follow the money. Wherever funds are spend we must do follow-ups that this has been done in accordance to what we agreed upon. Yesterday I was joined by a few Senior officials to go and look at the progress made so far in terms of the boreholes. We witnessed a lot of excitement while discussing the project with stakeholders because a significant amount of water has been found. We know that water is life. This is probably the biggest and most important thing that farmers want. Farmers need water and the rest they will roll out themselves. This has what has transpired during this exercise. The Geohydrologists have created three boreholes  and they are still on the site to ensure that fractures are not abused because the preliminary study is outcomes is now awaited. Our Council will see more reports about the progress made at the site on a regular basis, because this is an investment into change that we all need to see, funded by the with the taxpayer. I must however say, after it came to my attention yesterday…Mr Speaker and Council, because farmers have discovered water, and also because of consecutive years of drought faced by these farmers, they are anticipating what will be happening next. What I’ve learned yesterday is that some farmers have started to prepare their land because water would be coming. They asked us to intervene because the Department of Environmental Affairs stopped some of the farmers to prepare their land. This is because if a farmer does not use his or her land for 10 consecutive years, they are delayed because of red-tape to cultivate their land. Mr Speaker, this is mind-boggling to me and I am not sure what to do about this. It is something we have to investigate as a District Municipality and to subsequently approach the relevant provincial and national departments to address this. It does not make sense. A farmer prepares land because there is a possibility of worker – many cannot work their land if they know that there is persistent drought expected.

Mr Speaker, I will keep Council up to date about how we will deal with the situation going forward.

I thank you.

29 March 2021 Public Notice: Draft Performance Agreements for 2021/2022 Financial Year are accessible to the public

Public Notice: Draft Performance Agreements for 2021/2022 Financial Year are accessible to the public.

DOCUMENTS FOR PUBLIC PERUSAL

The following Draft Performance Agreements are available for public perusal and due for signature by 31 July 2021.

Browse to this link to access the documents.

For more information, please contact the GRDM Performance Manager, Ms Ilse Saaiman at:
E-mail: performance@gardenroute.gov.za
Reception: 044 803 1300