South African city wants R140 million in historical irregular expenditure to be written off

Recommendations were tabled at the Ekurhuleni Metro Council meeting on 31 August 2026 to write off R140 million in historical irregular expenditure.

This, Ekurhuleni Metro councillor Karl Rautenbach said, is unacceptable as the city should ensure proper accountability and consequence management.

Rautenbach added that the R140 million forms part of much larger amounts which have been written off over the past five years.

“A single report recommended that R53 million be written off as irrecoverable,” he said in a press statement.

“The report further noted that the relevant documentation and, in some cases, staff who were involved in these historical matters are no longer available or reachable.”

Rautenbach, who is part of the Freedom Front Plus, said they cannot endorse a system that allows irregular expenditure to remain unresolved for years.

Because it is not resolved quickly, investigations or the recovery of the funds become so difficult that the only option is to write it off.

“Writing off irregular expenditure should never become a substitute for consequence management,” he said.

“When officials are guilty of misconduct or negligence, they must be held accountable. Whenever money can be recovered, it must be recovered.”

He added that when contractors fail to meet their obligations, the Ekurhuleni Metro must act decisively.

“Every rand the Metro spends belongs to the residents of Ekurhuleni. Residents are expected to pay their municipal bills and comply with the law,” Rautenbach said.

“So, they have every right to expect the same standard of accountability from the Municipality.”

“Ekurhuleni needs a culture where transgressions lead to consequences, not a culture where failures are eventually written off and forgotten.”