One province in South Africa spent R344 million on consultants but did not achieve a single clean audit

Not a single North West municipality achieved a clean audit during the current local government term despite spending R344 million on consultants.

This was one of the findings of the Auditor-General’s 2024-25 Consolidated General Report on Local Government Audit Outcomes, released on 24 June 2026.

The report showed that only 15% of municipalities in South Africa achieved clean audits, and that 38 municipalities have regressed over the last 4 years.

A particularly concerning statistic was that 51% of municipalities in South Africa face severe liquidity and cash flow problems.

One of the worst provinces was the North West, where no municipality achieved a clean audit during the current local government term.

Freddy Sonakile, a member of the North West provincial legislature (MPL), said that despite numerous interventions, nothing worked.

He said the Auditor-General has highlighted the problems and the National Treasury has prescribed the treatment.

“Provincial Treasury has monitored the recovery. COGTA has intervened. Financial Recovery Plans have been approved,” he said.

“Oversight committees have met, and consultants have been appointed to resolve the dismal situation.”

However, despite all of these interventions, North West municipalities continue to suffer from the same chronic symptoms.

These include poor financial management, irregular expenditure, weak revenue collection, and deteriorating infrastructure.

This means residents suffer from failing basic services, while there is almost no accountability for those responsible.

“The result is visible in every community across the province. Dry taps. Sewage flows through the streets. Roads are falling apart,” Sonakile said.

“Electricity infrastructure is collapsing. Refuse left uncollected. Residents are paying more while receiving less.”

North West Province spends R344 million on consultants

Sonakile said it was particularly alarming that North West municipalities spent more than R344 million on consultants during the past financial year.

This is the highest consultant expenditure of any province in South Africa. However, this did not help to remedy the situation.

“Despite paying consultants hundreds of millions of rands to prescribe solutions, the patient continues to ignore the treatment,” he said.

He said the problem is a lack of political will from those in power in the North West province to change their ways.

The audit outcomes also exposed another uncomfortable truth: responsibility for municipal failure does not rest solely with the ANC.

“Political parties that continue to keep ANC administrations in office through coalition arrangements preserve the governments that continue to fail residents,” he said.

He pointed to municipalities such as JB Marks, Rustenburg and Lekwa-Teemane where this is the case.

“Coalition partners, including the EFF, PA, and smaller parties, have voted to keep ANC administrations in power,” he said.

“They cannot now distance themselves from stagnant audit outcomes, unfunded budgets, failing infrastructure, and collapsing service delivery.”