Finance Portfolio Based Councillor Induction Programme - Mpumalanga

Posted: 22 April 2022

SALGA in collaboration with Mpumalanga Provincial Treasury, the Department of Co-operative Government and Traditional Affairs, the South African Revenue Service (Sars) and The Auditor-General of South Africa, inducted municipal Councillors in Gert Sibande district (11-12 April 2022), in Nkangala district (13-14 April 2022) and Ehlanzeni district (21-22 April 2022) on Municipal Finance as part of the Municipal Finance Portfolio Based Induction programme.

The Councillor Portfolio Based Induction and development programme is aimed at enriching Councillors tasked with Finance/ Budget and Treasury Office (BTO) to better understand the complexities of providing policy and strategic direction on their portfolios and related matters.

Some of the content presented and discussed focused on the following topics:
• Overview of Internal Structures and Functionaries with a focus on Section 79 and Section 80 Committees.
• Municipal Budgeting and Financial Management.
• mSCOA Implementation Oversight.
• Municipal Public Accounts Committee.
• UIF&W Expenditure Reduction Strategy.
• Compliance Monitoring Tool.
• Responsible Citizenry campaign on the payment of municipal services.
• Local Government Records Management toolkit.
• Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA)
• Local Government Municipal Structures Act.

In-year reporting provides the Council and the Mayor a barometer of the performance of the municipality, both for financial and non-financial performance. The Council must play an active oversight role and must ask the tough questions when the performance is not in line with the projected performance that was approved in the Budget and Service Delivery and Budget Implementation Plan (SDBIP).

Municipal Financial Management has an important role to play in developing municipalities. Councillors provide political leadership and direction to the municipalities' policies and operations. They also oversee the financial management and service delivery of their municipalities. In fulfilling this role, councillors consult with the community, set priorities and provide direction, determine policies, approve budgets for the development of the community and delivery of essential services. Councillors also monitor the budget and policy implementation.