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Poor monitoring and evaluation systems at sector level have made it increasingly hard to detect financial problems sooner and prevent sporadic total collapse in service delivery.

All this is revealed in a submission this week by the Financial and Fiscal Commission to the National Council of Provinces.

The commission highlighted that financial problems were often precursors to service delivery failures, adding that the implementation of the current Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) was failing to fully address problems in provinces.

"The Constitution and the PFMA are not explicit in prescribing interventions necessary to maintain national and minimum service delivery standards," the commission said.

"Some problems are because the revenue resources cannot be stretched to meet the expenditures mandated by the Constitution and demanded by the people, while others are related to inefficient use and inappropriate allocation of resources."

The commission's analysis on the financial distress of provinces was based on information provided by the Treasury to advise and make recommendations to Parliament, provincial legislatures, organised local government and other organs of state on financial and fiscal matters.

In resolving the dire state in which provinces are in, the commission recommended the introduction of an early warning, making the PFMA more explicit by setting out criteria to determine serious financial problems - with clear measurable factors of what leads to departments' inability to executive financial obligations.

The commission said at present, politicians and bureaucrats could not be easily held responsible for their deeds and that lines of accountability were blurred across the three spheres of government.

For example, premiers sign performance agreements with President Jacob Zuma, but legislatures are responsible for allocating resources, while the buck stops with national ministers.

It also suggests the setting of clear norms and standards for the performance of provincial treasuries, to reinforce authority to exercise their functions without undue interference when implementing provincial budgets. - nhlabathih@sowetan.co.za

Comments

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Fri May 24 18:05:09 SAST 2013 ::

Jul 13, 2012

Tsar-Rasputin

Thats logic!!!!
You need resources(People, Finance, Assets and infomtional) to deliver on your constitutional mandate.

If you are failing to manage them , you wont be able to achive your set objectives.
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Jul 13, 2012

GrRRRpha

RED TAPE from National government. Cut the middle man
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Jul 13, 2012

Tshiwo

The inadequacies and poor service delivery lies squarely on Cadre Deployment. This system has and will continue to eradicate skills and competence in the government sector as many skilled and competent individuals are forced out by having incompetent people in senior positions only because they are in the ruling party. Top that with CORRUPTION.
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Jul 13, 2012

Mrazane

Ja neh! There is a total collapse of government administration because of political deployment. Administration of government should be able to function without being adversly affected by the politics of the day, with the current administration we know ukuthi there actually is no administration and that is a frightening thought. Zuma has destroyed this country in less than 5 years.If you want to save SA please those going to Mangaung try and convince Nkosazana Zuma to stand and forget about maintaining "relations" with uyise weyi ngane South Africa needs you madam. If she is not elected as president of the ANC then DA is guaranteed my vote.
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Jul 13, 2012

Tshiwo

How on earth do you explain the over expenditure in some provinces while the services are not rendered, some remain with unspent budget because someone is dizzy in the office; and people are toyi-toying in the pepper-sprayed dirty streets of our country. Cry the beloved country while your dream remains just a pipe dream.
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Jul 13, 2012

MommaC

If SA was a public company, we would be insolvent.

Stop with the damn buddy system and start putting QUALIFIED, COMPETENT and RESPONSIBLE people and then hold them ACCOUNTABLE. Easy as that
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Jul 13, 2012

WakeUpSouthAfrica

No, corruption and incompetence hits service delivery.

Financial distress is merely a repercussion of this.
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Jul 13, 2012

WakeUpSouthAfrica

LOL, Limpopo officials alone spent R25 million on cellphone bills.
Shame, and people are making noise about Eskoms R30 million family fun days.

Wow, our govermnent SUCKS!!!
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Jul 13, 2012

ModiseP

Today's leadership didn't go to school.Some of this things need schooling and experience of particular job.Leadership of today need money and nothing else.Today when an individual is fluent in english,we saying is clever.Make qualification research before you appoint a politicians in top post.Do not expect service delivery because members of the ruling party are politicians and are not administrators.Yo nkosi yame.
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Jul 13, 2012

16-12-1838

Such a massive and far reaching problem, the fallout from this is inconceivable as just the thought of it sends shivers down my spine.

This mindset and institutional incompetence is going to affect the country for decades to come, even IF we started improving things and initiating changes from tomorrow...fat fukn chance!

Who in their right mind, besides those with all the wrong intentions, would like to take over from the current bunch of imbeciles? It is an impossible task to turn this mess around and can you imagine...where do you start? Engaging reverse gear on this disaster would cause the whole country to grind to a halt as all the lazy, arrogant and incompetent public sector workers constantly toyi-toyi and destroy everything in sight. That is if there IS anything left after all the violence that will erupt if the anc ever lost power!

Doomed if we do, doomed if we don't! It seems we are forever cursed with an endless cycle of sad history, jumping from the frying pan and into the fire! - Nkosi sikelel' iAfrika
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