Category: <span>Financial Services</span>

28 February 2023 Public Notice: 2022/23 Fourth Adjustment Budget – Approved 27 February 2023

Public Notice: 2022/23 Fourth Adjustment Budget Approved

Notice is hereby given that the Garden Route District Municipal Council’s Fourth 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, 27 February 2023.

This documents are available for public inspection and comments on the GRDM municipal website at www.gardenroute.gov.za from 27 February 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”.

For any enquiries, please contact the Budget Manager (Ms Louise Hoek) at 044 803 1300.

Click here to open the official notice.

M G Stratu
Municipal Manager
Garden Route District Municipality

13 January 2023 Media Release: GRDM CFO spreads his wings to join an International Software Investment company

Media Release: GRDM CFO spreads his wings to join an International Software Investment Company

For Immediate Release
13 January 2023

Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Jan-Willem de Jager, has accepted a new role at a fast-growing, international software investment company. Jan-Willem joined GRDM as Chief Audit Executive in 2015 and was appointed as CFO in March 2019.

Speaking about the move, he said, “I was presented with a unique opportunity to join a fast-growing international software investment company. It provides great scope for professional growth in areas such as exposure to the latest system developments and international trends in global markets, finance and investments.”

The new role will be within the finance function and will involve analyzing financial processes to enhance operational efficiencies while ensuring accurate and timely reporting to stakeholders. Jan-Willem will bring a wealth of experience to the role, having gained experience in a diverse range of business processes within local government, particularly in the implementation of the national Municipal Standard Chart of Accounts (mSCOA) reform, as well as experience in systems and processes from former employers.

This role will build on Jan-Willem’s career which, prior to joining GRDM in 2015, includes time with PricewaterhouseCoopers in SA and Europe, Moore George, KPMG Dublin, and other companies in London, including the investment bank Goldman Sachs.

De Jager stated, “I would like to thank GRDM for the opportunity to serve as CFO of such a progressive and ambitious institution. The highlights of my tenure include the clean audit outcomes for 2021/22 and 2020/21, and equally rewarding to assist colleagues, departments, and fellow government institutions to achieve their goals in serving their communities.”

During his feedback to the Mayoral Committee, Executive Mayor, Ald. Memory Booysen said: “It is not nice to say goodbye to Jan-Willem. It makes sense to get involved at an institution that operates on an international level, given the state of South Africa. The same would have been done by me if I were you.”

“It is also a feather in the cap of the Garden Route because the Americans recognised the talent we have.”

“I am grateful for your role in various turn-around strategies over the past few years, in which you played a pivotal role. You’ve done a great job crossing the ts and dotting the i’s.”

His last working day at the GRDM is on 27 January 2023. Thembani Loliwe, GRDM Strategic Manager, has been appointed to act for three months as the CFO, while the process to appoint a new one is underway.

GRDM wishes Jan-Willem de Jager all the best in the future.

ENDS

2 December 2022 Media Release: Another clean audit for Garden Route DM – a promise kept!

Media Release: Another clean audit for Garden Route DM – a promise kept!

For Immediate Release
2 December 2022

As promised, the Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) has maintained its clean audit outcome. The culture of good governance and accountability remains unmatched when comparing the GRDM to some of the 44 district municipalities in South Africa.

The fiscal discipline, rigid financial planning, and continuous oversight, combined with hundreds of internal controls added to the institution’s achievement. Clean audits and improvements by municipalities reflect the tone set by municipal managers and institutions.

Monde Stratu, GRDM Municipal Manager proudly boasted about the achievement. “We’ve consistently worked on instilling a culture of being accountable and improving controls to sustain the Clean Audit Outcome.”

“I am also very proud of everyone who worked in the background to help us achieve such a wonderful milestone, it was a team effort,” said Stratu.

The Executive Mayor of GRDM, Alderman Memory Booysen, expressed his gratitude to the entire municipality, in particular, the Municipal Manager and Financial Services Department. It is an honour for us to be part of the Western Cape, a province that sets the highest standard of financial management in South Africa.” According to the Auditor General’s report to Parliament on 23 November, the Western Cape continues to be the province with the highest number of clean audit outcomes.

When presenting the Audit Outcome to a Combined Municipal Public Accounts Committee and Audit Committee of GRDM, Ashiq Allie, the Manager AGSA for the GRDM audit, congratulated the institution for achieving a clean audit outcome for the financial year under review. The Final Audit Report was submitted to the Municipality on 30 November 2022. He also commented that he knows it takes a lot of work on the ground to maintain a clean audit and that it is a combination of hard work by management and taking the AG’s findings seriously over the years.

MPAC Chairperson Cllr Danie Acker expressed gratitude to employees and Council for their commitment to a clean audit report. He further elaborated on the fact that the audit outcome is proof that coalition governments can work because they keep things together. “I am extremely proud and honoured about this achievement.”

ENDS

Notes by the editor:

Municipal managers are responsible for preparing and fairly representing their institution’s financial statements in accordance with the Generally Recognised Accounting Practice (GRAP) and the requirements of the Municipal Finance Management Act 56 of 2003. The Auditor General conducts an audit in accordance with the International Standards on Auditing (ISAs).

24 November 2022 Public Notice: 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

24 November 2022

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.

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22 November 2022: Notice – Second Adjustment Budget 2022/2023 Approved

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.

Click here to view the official notice.
Click here to view the documents.

M G Stratu
Municipal Manager
Garden Route District Municipality

28 April 2022 For Public Comment: Third Adjustment Budget 2021/2022

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

21 February 2022 Public Notice: 2021/2022 Second Adjustment Budget – Open for Comment and Public Inspection

21 February 2022 Public Notice: 2021/2022 Second Adjustment Budget – Open for Comment and Public Inspection

Notice 23/2022

Notice is hereby given that the Garden Route District Municipal Council’s Second 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, 21 February 2022 and is available for public inspection and comments on the GRDM municipal website www.gardenroute.gov.za from 23 February 2022.

Members of the public are invited to submit written comments or representations to the municipality in respect of this document. Click here to view the official public notice.

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.

L Menze
Acting Municipal Manager
Garden Route District Municipality

29 October 2021 Media Release: Garden Route District Municipality improves its procurement practices to avoid Deviations

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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What is a Deviation?

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”.

What to look out for when procuring goods and services?

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.

How to prevent Deviations?

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.

ENDS

2021 08 26 Notice: Roll-Over Adjustment Budget for the period 2021/2022-2023/2024

Notice 74/2021

ROLL-OVER ADJUSTMENT BUDGET 2021/2022

Notice is hereby given that the Garden Route District Municipal Council’s Roll-Over 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 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”.

Click to download/view the official notice.

Please contact the Budget Manager (Ms Louise Hoek) at 044 803 1300 with any enquiries.

M G Stratu
Municipal Manager
Garden Route District Municipality