The Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) which councilors need to know, municipalities need to abide by; and which holds the municipal manager and other senior officials responsible for implementation and outputs, in a nutshell, describes its crucial aspects.
In the National Treasury pocketbook, former finance minister, Trevor Manuel, in 2004, mentions in the foreword that the above government officials and councilors, must “take ownership of this Act… to guarantee democratic decision-making over financial planning, spending and outcomes.” All people will feel the effects of the MFMA henceforth.
Taking on this topic, feels like one is breaking the forth wall. However, the Constitution with its “Public Participation and Communication” caveat declares: “The more informed people are, the better they will understand what government is trying to do and what the budget and resource limitations are.”
Councilors also have to go through the legalese to empower themselves in playing an active role by dissecting and assimilating the all-encompassing MFMA.
The best part is that people have access to this information in all its glory on their phones and other internet devices by going here and you will be familiar with the MFMA and its rules.
The following letter appeared in the North Coast Courier (6 October 2017) in print. The above content was then enhanced for SEO.