The Vhembe District's five municipalities performed rather dismally at the annual South African Local Government Association (SALGA) awards for Limpopo municipalities, securing only six awards, none in the top categories.
The SALGA Moses "Big Moss" Maluleke Awards were held in Bela-Bela on Thursday, 13 March.
None of the Vhembe municipalities received awards for spending 95% or more of their grants, such as the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) or the Regional Bulk Infrastructure Grant.
Only two Vhembe municipalities, Makhado and Musina, received awards for sustaining unqualified audit opinions. Both Makhado and the Vhembe District Municipality (VDM) were recognised for not incurring unauthorised expenditure in the 2023/24 financial year.
Musina and the VDM also received trophies for preparing their annual financial statements (AFS) in-house. Only seven Limpopo municipalities perform this function themselves, while the others outsource it.
Makhado Municipality's municipal manager, Kent Nemane, said he was very impressed with his municipality's performance. This was the fifth consecutive year that Makhado had achieved an unqualified audit opinion. He said their goal was to achieve a clean audit. "We believe that, as a collective, this is not only possible but achievable," he added.
The awards align with SALGA's ongoing efforts to encourage municipalities to enhance performance, particularly in finance. By recognising those who excel, SALGA aims to inspire a culture of accountability and efficiency throughout the province.
Makhado Municipality's mayor, Dorcus Mboyi, said the fact that the municipality had won two awards was encouraging. She said it took hard work and dedication to elevate the municipality to a higher level, and this fifth recognition award would also motivate other municipalities to follow suit.