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What Happened
On 6 October 2025, the Amathole District Municipality (ADM) presented a progress report during a joint parliamentary oversight meeting held with the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA), and the Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature. The session, hosted at ADM Headquarters, outlined the municipality’s governance recovery and improved financial performance since new leadership took office in August 2022.
Amathole District Municipality Executive Mayor Anele Ntsangani shared the municipality’s turnaround journey, noting that Amathole District Municipality has achieved credible Annual Financial Statements, maintained 100% expenditure on conditional grants, and built reserves exceeding R100 million while reducing employee costs to 37% of operating expenditure.
Official Response
COGTA Portfolio Committee Chairperson Dr. Zweli Mkhize commended the municipality’s improvement from previously disclaimed audits to a qualified audit in 2023/24. He urged continued focus on consequence management and the reduction of irregular expenditure.
Amathole District Municipality’s Municipal Manager Dr B.J. Mthembu added that, “Rigorous credit control and debt collection efforts are yielding results,” emphasizing ongoing efforts to clean the indigent register for accuracy.
The Auditor-General’s office also noted ADM’s progress in addressing historical challenges, such as outdated SAP licensing issues, and its successful transition to SAGE financial systems.
Community Impact
The Acting Chairperson of the oversight committee, Ms. Dikeledi Direko, praised ADM’s efforts to reduce consultancy costs and enhance recruitment integrity. These measures she said, “outlines a municipality committed to restoring public trust and accountability.”
