The Democratic Alliance (DA) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has submitted written follow-up parliamentary questions (view here) to the province’s Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) regarding the recent procurement of vehicles for Traditional Councils.
This follows a written reply (view here) confirming that 30 vehicles were procured at a total cost of R19.41 million, through National Treasury contract RT57.
The department has indicated that the procurement was funded through internal reprioritisation within its existing budget, and that once the vehicles are transferred, responsibility for fuel, maintenance and insurance will fall to the beneficiary Traditional Councils as part of their operational costs.
The DA recognises the important role played by Traditional Councils across our province, particularly in rural communities where they assist with local leadership, community coordination and engagement with government.
Our questions are therefore not aimed at opposing support to Traditional Councils. They are aimed at ensuring that this support is properly funded, sustainable and allocated in a transparent manner.
The most important issue is how the vehicles will be funded over the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF). While CoGTA has explained how the initial R19.41million procurement was funded, further clarity is needed on whether this was a once-off reprioritisation – or whether future vehicle allocations and related costs will also depend on ongoing reprioritisation.
This matters because CoGTA also carries important responsibilities in relation to municipal support and monitoring, governance support, capacity-building and disaster management. The department should be able to reassure KZN’s people that support to Traditional Councils will not come at the expense of these core responsibilities.
The DA has therefore asked the department to indicate;
- The programme or budget item from which the R19.41 million was reprioritised
- Whether any municipal-support or disaster-management activities were affected and;
- Whether future vehicle allocations will be funded from a dedicated budget item or through further internal reprioritisation.
The second issue is sustainability for Traditional Councils themselves. Vehicles come with recurring costs, including fuel, insurance, licencing, tyres, servicing and repairs. The DA has asked the department to indicate;
- The current annual operational budget of each Traditional Council that received a vehicle
- Whether those budgets were increased and
- How the department satisfied itself that the additional costs can be absorbed if no extra allocation was made.
The third issue is vehicle allocation. While CoGTA has provided a beneficiary list, the DA has asked for;
- The criteria and process used to select the first batch of Traditional Councils and;
- The framework that will guide future allocations. This is important so that all Traditional Councils understand how prioritisation decisions are made.
The DA, as a Government of Provincial Unity (GPU) partner, believes that these questions are reasonable in terms of constructive oversight. Public money must be spent in a manner that is transparent, sustainable and aligned with the department’s broader mandate. We will continue to seek clarity in a responsible manner, so that Traditional Councils are properly supported while CoGTA’s important work with municipalities is not weakened.