Public Notice: Draft Budget 2023/2024 open for Comments
Notice is hereby given that the Garden Route District Municipal Council’s Draft Budget for the period 2023/2024-2025/2026, was compiled in accordance with the Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act 2003 (Act 56 of 2003).
This document was noted by the Garden Route District Municipality at a District Council meeting held on Tuesday, 28 March 2023.
This document is available for public inspection and comments on the GRDM municipal website www.gardenroute.gov.za from 29 March 2023.
Members of the public are invited to submit written comments or representations to the municipality in respect of this document. All comments and inputs must be directed to “The Municipal Manager, Garden Route District Municipality, 54 York Street, George 6530”.
Please contact the Budget Manager (Ms Louise Hoek) at 044 803 1300 with any enquiries.
PUBLICATION OF INFORMATION STATEMENT REGARDING THE RAISING OF EXTERNAL LOAN FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF GRDM REGIONAL WASTE MANAGEMENT FACILITY OVER THE 2022/23 – 2024/25 MTREF PERIOD
PURPOSE
To make public an information statement setting out particulars of the proposed debt, including the amount of the proposed debt; the purposes for which the debt is to be incurred and the particulars of any security to be provided for the financing of the construction of the GRDM Regional Waste Management Facility capital project as per Council’s approved 2022/23 – 2024/25 Medium Term Revenue and Expenditure Framework (MTREF) Capital Budget.
To invite the public to submit written comments or representations to council in respect of the proposed debt.
NOTICE: SECOND ADJUSTMENT BUDGET 2022/2023 APPROVED
Notice 129/2022
Notice is hereby given that the Garden Route District Municipal Council’s Second Adjustment Budget for the period 2022/2023-2024/2025, was compiled in accordance with the Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act 2003 (Act 56 of 2003).
This document was approved by the Garden Route District Municipality at a District Council meeting held on Monday, 21 November 2022.
The document will be available for public inspection and comments on the GRDM municipal website www.gardenroute.gov.za from 22 November 2022. Members of the public is invited to submit written comments or representations to the municipality in respect of this document. All comments and inputs must be directed to “The Municipal Manager, Garden Route District Municipality, 54 York Street, George 6530”.
Please contact the Budget Manager (Ms Louise Hoek) at 044 803 1300 with any enquiries.
Notice is hereby given that the Garden Route District Municipal Council’s Roll-Over Adjustment Budget for the period 2022/2023-2024/2025, was compiled in accordance with the Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act 2003 (Act 56 of 2003).
This document will be available for public inspection and comments on the GRDM municipal website www.gardenroute.gov.za from 25 August 2022.
Members of the public is invited to submit written comments or representations to the municipality in respect of this document. All comments and inputs must be directed to “The Municipal Manager, Garden Route District Municipality, 54 York Street, George 6530”.
Please contact the Budget Manager (Ms Louise Hoek) at 044 803 1300 with any enquiries.
Click on the links below and download/view the official documents.
28 April 2022 For Public Comment: Third Adjustment Budget 2021/2022
Notice 45/2022
Notice is hereby given that the Garden Route District Municipal Council’s Third Adjustment Budget for the period 2021/2022-2023/2024, was compiled in accordance with the Local Government: Municipal Finance Management Act 2003 (Act 56 of 2003).
This document was approved by the Garden Route District Municipality at a District Council meeting held on Monday, 26 April 2022. The document will be available for public inspection and comments on the GRDM municipal website www.gardenroute.gov.za from 29 April 2022.
Members of the public is invited to submit written comments or representations to the municipality in respect of this document. All comments and inputs must be directed to “The Municipal Manager, Garden Route District Municipality, 54 York Street, George 6530”.
Please contact the Budget Manager (Ms Louise Hoek) at 044 803 1300 with any enquiries.
M G Stratu
Municipal Manager
Garden Route District Municipality
Media Release: Several Garden Route DM APAC members complete their terms
For Immediate Release 12 April 2022
After years of strategic services rendered to the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) Audit and Performance Audit Committee (APAC), the terms of three (3) members have come to an end.
Dr Adele Potgieter, the outgoing Chairperson of APAC, finished her term yesterday. She commenced her duties on 1 November 2012, Advocate Derick Block served on the Committee from 1 March 2016 until 31 October 2021, and Mr Geoff Stenekamp served on APAC from 1 September 2017 until 28 February 2022.
APAC’s primary role is to advise the municipal council, political office bearers, accounting officers, and management of the Municipality about several matters. These include, but are not limited to, financial control and reporting, internal audit, risk management, accounting policies, performance management, governance, performance evaluations, and other matters referred by the institution.
Therefore, the effectiveness of this Committee requires an appropriate mix of professional skills, which are the prerequisites the GRDM identified for APAC members to hold. Appointing APAC members can be a daunting task because finding the relevant skills locally or regionally is not always possible. This is experienced all over the country.
The Chairperson of APAC’s leadership role is central to setting the tone of the work style and ensures that each agenda contributes to the effectiveness of the Committee.
BRIEF EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND OF OUTOING MEMBERS
Dr Potgieter is a Senior Lecturer at Nelson Mandela University. She holds a PhD in Business Management, Marketing, and related support services, a BCom Investment Honours, and a BA degree in Industrial and Organisational Psychology. She’s also served on numerous audit committees
Advocate Block holds a B. luris, LLB, and Postgraduate Diploma in Taxation. He has served on more than fifteen (15) committees and boards. He has vast knowledge and experience in local, provincial, and national government, legal, constitutional matters, risk management, audit, corporate governance, and compliance.
Mr Geoffrey Stenekamp has Bsc, BCompt degrees, and he is a qualified Chartered Accountant (SA). He was the national leader of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and has served on three (3) other Audit Committees before.
CLOSING REMARKS
During Dr Potgieter’s closing remarks, she recalled the journey she walked with the Municipality for more than a decade. “I’ve done countless performance appraisals, worked with various municipal managers, mayors and other professional staff.” She also shared how proud she is of the functional managers of Internal Audit, Risk Management and Performance Management, who have grown immensely since she started working for the GRDM.
“I have learned to work with many good people, new employees – young and old. However, what stood out for me is their willingness to work together – employees want to do good in this Municipality,” she said. “Thank you on behalf of APAC for the diligence on your financial statements. I wish you well going forward. May your days be blessed, and think of us fondly going forward. She also thanked Mr Stratu and the GRDM Council for their leadership.
In her advice to the APAC, she said: “Always stay independent, don’t get gobbed down by others and listen to your heart.”
During his closing remarks at an APAC engagement yesterday, Acting Municipal Manager Lusanda Menze said: “Thank you for the service of APAC and what it has done for the community in its entirety and us.” When referring to the APAC as advisors, Menze referred expressly to Proverbs about wisdom and listening to advisors. “You have also helped steer GRDM to attain a clean audit.”
The GRDM is grateful for the outgoing APAC members and the positive contribution they’ve made and wishes them the best for their future endeavours.
These documents were considered by the Garden Route District Council at a District Council meeting held on Tuesday, 29 March 2022.
The documents will be available for public inspection and comments at all main local libraries, satellite offices and the Garden Route District Municipality’s IDP Unit, 54 York Street George and on the GRDM municipal website www.gardenroute.gov.za.
All comments and inputs must be directed to “The Municipal Manager, Garden Route District Municipality, 54 York Street, George 6530”,  rekords@gardenroute.gov.za.
Persons who are unable to read or write are encouraged to contact the Garden Route District Municipality during ordinary office hours, where they will be assisted to formulate their written comments or objections.
Written comments and inputs regarding the above documents must reach the Office of the Municipal Manager on/or before 30 April 2022.
Please contact the District IDP Manager (Ms. Mercy James) /or Budget Manager (Ms Louise Hoek) at 044 803 1300 /or rekords@gardenroute.gov.za with any enquiries.
L MENZE Acting Municipal Manager Garden Route District Municipality
Media Release: Garden Route District Municipality improves its procurement practices to avoid Deviations
For Immediate Release 28 October 2021
Over the last few years, Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) has improved significantly with the utilisation of deviations in its procurement processes.
According to GRDM Chief Financial Officer, Mr Jan-Willem de Jager, GRDM has invested significant time and effort in an attempt to reduce the amount of goods/services that had to be procured via deviations to the bare minimum. “Since 2017/2018 financial year, GRDM improved with a drop in deviations from ± R23 million to ±R2 million,” De Jager said.
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A deviation is a procurement process that falls within the ambit of Regulation 36 of the Municipal Supply Chain Management Regulations (Municipal Finance Management Act). Tebello Mpuru, Manager responsible for Stores, Data & Supply Chain Management at GRDM, explains: “It allows the Municipal Manager to dispense with the prescribed procurement processes established by the organisation’s Supply Management Policy of Council and to procure any required goods and services through any convenient process, provided that the reason for having to deviate falls within the allowed categories as per the legislation. This may include direct negotiations,” he said.
The SCM Regulations stipulates the following five (5) specific circumstances that legitimise the use of deviations:
In an emergency situation
If such goods or services are produced or available from a single provider only
For the acquisition of special works of art or historical objects where specifications are difficult to compile
Acquisitions of animals for zoos
In any other exceptional case where it is impractical or impossible to follow the official procurement process; and
To ratify any minor breaches of the procurement processes by an official or committee acting in terms of delegated powers or duties which are purely of technical nature.
The use of deviations for unjustifiable reasons leads to irregular expenditure. According to Mpuru, irregular expenditure due to the abuse of deviations, is frowned upon by stakeholders at all levels of the organisation, as the practice negatively affects the performance of the organisational. For that reason, this practice rarely ever escapes the public eye, as it creates a perception of intentional financial misconduct and the contravention of the relevant Municipal Finance Management Act (in a municipal context). On the question, why it is important not to follow the deviations route, Mpuru highlighted: “Through proper procurement planning by an organisation to put measures in place to have appropriate goods and service contracts for Council, a deviation would be an exceptional occurrence”. Each deviation would then allow the Council to update their procurement plan and put measures in place to avoid similar situations in the future, if possible. An event would rarely be entirely new; therefore, through proper planning, procurement contracts can be put in place ahead of time and ensure that minimal deviations can occur.
In further elaborating on the practice of deviating, De Jager explains that with emergencies that could still arise, considering that GRDM delivers disaster management and fire fighting services, would mean that some deviations would still be justifiably required. However “the organisation has shown great progress to identify every possible eventually for which we would be required to procure goods/services and has ensured that legislated procurement processes were followed to get adequate contracts in place for such goods/services”.  In closing, he highlighted: “The success of this drive to reduce deviations is evident from how the total annual deviations has decreased over the last number of years”.
Procurement is about Council openly going into the market to procure goods and services and allow the market to be treated fairly in responding to the needs of the state. Government’s intention is to solicit goods and services in the market without prejudice and allow the market to respond with the best possible offer to Government. A procurement process is designed to be transparent, fair, equitable, competitive and cost-effective to ensure the state utilises public resources in a manner that translates into value for money.
Mpuru advises that when goods or services are procured, one should do a market analysis and ensure that you are fairly familiarised with the approximate market rate for those goods and services. One cannot claim ignorance by purchasing goods and services that are priced at an unreasonable cost – “Government has limited funding, as such every cent that is spent should be value for money. Failure to do so could be deemed as financial negligence and could be deemed as a crime against the state and the people of this country”. Every cent spent belongs to the public and should therefore be treated with utmost care to avoid irregular or wasteful expenditure – limited resources should translate in eliminating inefficiencies and obtaining the best possible value out of the market.
Procurement is merely a translation of the execution of planned objectives. Therefore every cent in the organisation should be spent according to the plans of Council. Planning, therefore, requires a lot more thought and attention to detail to ensure that those entrusted with public funds have a clear plan on what programs and projects of Council they plan to execute in the most efficient manner possible.
“Ultimately we are public servants, and we are accountable to the public as a primary stakeholder to serve our communities. Failure to ensure efficient use of public resources ultimately means that we have failed society to derive the highest value possible with Government’s limited resources. Every action we do to add, speaks to the sustainability of public governance and the stability and growth of society” Mpuru emphasised. “Therefore being prudent means if we plan accordingly it can only be of benefit to society at large of which we are also beneficiaries of,” he concluded.
This document was approved by the Garden Route District Municipality at a District Council meeting held on Tuesday, 24 August 2021.
This document will be available for public inspection and comments on the GRDM municipal website www.gardenroute.gov.za from 26 August 2021.
Members of the public is invited to submit written comments or representations to the municipality in respect of this document. All comments and inputs must be directed to “The Municipal Manager, Garden Route District Municipality, 54 York Street, George 6530”.
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.
GRDM Executive Mayor, Alderman Memory Booysen
GRDM Municipal Manager, Monde Stratu
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:
–Â 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.
