
Municipalities are owed R218bn. So why are they running out of money?
The FFC says a system-wide breakdown in collecting and paying bills is fuelling arrears that more than a decade of government interventions has failed to contain.

The FFC says a system-wide breakdown in collecting and paying bills is fuelling arrears that more than a decade of government interventions has failed to contain.

Lawmakers want legal questions over withheld equitable-share allocations resolved as Treasury begins releasing billions of rand to compliant municipalities.

Municipalities that fix their governance failures could regain funding within weeks, while provinces and national departments are now facing the same scrutiny.

Just 10 of the 69 affected municipalities account for more than R21.6bn in arrears to utilities, retirement funds, SARS and other creditors.

Investigations across four provinces reveal recurring irregularities, with recovery and prosecution still lagging far behind the findings.

Several municipalities have lost about 75% of their money.

Authorities have convicted six individuals in the VBS Mutual Bank fraud case, including former executives and municipal officials. However, with 29 accused still on trial and 43 more suspects under investigation, the case is far from over.

The former owner of Gundo Wealth Solutions has been fined R3 million and debarred for a decade for brokering investments into VBS Mutual Bank.