Auditor-general and National Treasury urged to block Bay R23bn expenditure write-off

Theherald · 🇿🇦 public South Africa · Aug 19, 2026 · 659 words · By Michael Kimberley

Political accountability Legal compliance Financial Governance

headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing

Generate a natural audio summary of this story

Daily briefing

What to know about Political accountability

The auditor-general and the National Treasury have been urged to intervene to stop the Nelson Mandela Bay council from writing off R23bn of historic unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure (UIFWE).

Claims checked 8

Techniques found 1

Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center88%

Right12%

8 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Why it matters

This comes amid moves by the council to approve a blanket write-off in breach of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA).

Common ground

The municipal public accounts committee (Mpac) descended into a bitter showdown last week over the R23bn write-off.

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Political accountability story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that the Supreme Court of Appeal confirmed that the recovery of UIFWE was a mandatory statutory obligation?
How does this story connect Political accountability with Legal compliance over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.theherald.co.za/news/2026-08-19-auditor-general-and-national-treasur…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 8 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 3

verified Verified 2

check_circle Corroborated 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

verified

Claim 1: “the Supreme Court of Appeal confirmed that the recovery of UIFWE was a mandatory statutory obligation.”

VERIFIED

Web search results explicitly state that the Supreme Court of Appeal explained that officials causing UIFWE can be held liable, confirming the statutory obligation for recovery.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Supreme Court of Appeal went further and explained that an official who causes unauthorised, irregular, fruitless or wasteful expenditure by a municipality can be held liable in a number of ways.
https://hbgschindlers.com/mbam-holding-municipal-officials-p…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The National Treasury has called for upskilling to improve capacity among municipal officials, as municipalities across the country rack up nearly R270 billion in unauthorised, irregular, fruitless, a…
https://iol.co.za/news/2026-05-14-r270bn-down-the-drain-how-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The municipality has instituted civil recovery proceedings against the implicated individuals and entities, as outlined below: Recovery Actions Initiated. The municipality successfully pursued Claim 1…
https://pmg.org.za/committee-question/34031/

info

Claim 2: “the committee has not received the legally required Section 32 reports from the MFMA.”

SINGLE SOURCE

While the evidence explains what Section 32 reports and MPAC are, it does not provide specific evidence that the committee has *not* received these reports in this specific case.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Municipal Financial Management Act (MFMA) assigns specific oversight responsibilities to Council in the annual reporting process and the preparation of the Oversight Report.
https://www.george.gov.za/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Final-O…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The decision affects municipalities in all nine provinces and comes after repeated failures to comply with the requirements of the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA), despite years of support, gu…
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/national-treasury-draws-line-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Municipal Public Accounts Committee. Performs an oversight function on behalf of council. Engage directly with the public.
https://www.naledilm.co.za/departments/office-of-the-municip…

check_circle

Claim 3: “the Nelson Mandela Bay council from writing off R23bn of historic unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure (UIFWE)”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent web search results confirm that the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality is attempting to write off approximately R23 billion in UIFWE.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Metropolitan routes in South Africa, also called metro roads or metro routes are designated with the letter M, and are usually major routes around cities in South Africa.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_metropolitan_routes_in…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Nelson Mandela Bay City Hall (File Picture). Nelson Mandela Bay’s municipal public accounts committee has descended into a bitter showdown over a R23bn write-off of unauthorised, irregular, fruitl…
https://www.theherald.co.za/politics/2026-08-16-r23bn-write-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality plans to write off R23 billion in unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure (UIFWE). The Democratic Alliance has asked the Auditor-General (AG) an…
https://newsday.co.za/south-africa/25321/r23-billion-set-to-…

+ 1 more evidence source

info

Claim 4: “At least two opposition parties have since written to the auditor-general and the National Treasury asking them to intervene.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The evidence provided for this claim consists of irrelevant search results regarding 'Cash App' and does not mention opposition parties or the auditor-general.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — May 1, 2026 · Cash App is a financial platform for sending money, saving, investing, and more — all in one app. Learn how to get started, what it costs, and what you can do.
https://cash.app/learn/getting-started/what-is-cash-app-and-…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Sign in to your Cash App account. View transaction history, manage your account, and send payments.
https://cash.app/login

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Visit cash.app and click Log in on the top right Enter the phone number linked to your account, then choose Continue. Select Use email to log in with your email instead When prompted, confirm using yo…
https://cash.app/help/us/en-us/6801-log-in-and-manage-your-a…

verified

Claim 5: “ACDP councillor Lance Grootboom... sent the letter on Monday.”

VERIFIED

Web search results explicitly mention ACDP councillor Lance Grootboom in the context of the National Treasury and the write-off of irregular expenditure.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — Mongameli Bobani (12 July 1968 – 11 November 2020) was a South African politician and lawyer. He served as the Executive Mayor of Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality from August 2018 until De…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mongameli_Bobani

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Nelson Mandela Bay is staring down a financial precipice as the National Treasury threatens to halt grant transfers. After missing a March deadline for required documents, the municipality has been ha…
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-04-21-deja-vu-i…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — ACDP councillor Lance Grootboom (EUGENE COETZEE). National Treasury has ordered that Nelson Mandela Bay municipality remove an item from Thursday’s council agenda to write off R2.6bn in irregular expe…
https://www.theherald.co.za/news/2025-03-27-national-treasur…

+ 1 more evidence source

check_circle

Claim 6: “From 2009 to 2021, the municipality lost R23bn to UIFWE”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm the figure of R23 billion (or R23.08bn) in UIFWE associated with the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Nelson Mandela Bay municipality has rejected National Treasury’s objection to writing off R23.08bn in historic unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure, arguing the funds are now le…
https://www.theherald.co.za/news/2026-08-27-metro-rejects-tr…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Nelson Mandela Bay municipality has shot down fears it is broke after the National Treasury froze its July funding over financial mismanagement.
https://iol.co.za/news/2026-07-08-nelson-mandela-bay-denies-…

verified

Claim 7: “They intend to present this illegal item to the upcoming council meeting on August 25 to regularise and approve this write-off.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The evidence provided for this claim consists of irrelevant crossword puzzle solvers and general Wikipedia entries about the municipality, with no mention of an August 25 meeting or the specific agenda item.

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality council consists of one hundred and twenty members elected by mixed-member proportional representation. Sixty councillors are elected by first-past-the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela_Bay_elections

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (Xhosa: uMasipala oMbaxa iNelson Mandela Bay; Afrikaans: Nelson Mandelabaai Metropolitaanse Munisipaliteit) is one of eight metropolitan municipalities in South Afr…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela_Bay_Metropolita…

menu_book

wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium is a soccer and rugby union stadium in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It hosted 2010 FIFA World Cup matches, including the third-place play off. …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela_Bay_Stadium

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 8: “acting city manager Lonwabo Ngoqo sought legal advice to assist the municipality in investigating and addressing its UIFWE”

SINGLE SOURCE

While web results confirm Lonwabo Ngoqo's role as acting city manager, there is no specific evidence in the provided results confirming he sought legal advice for the UIFWE investigation.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Executive Mayor of Matjhabeng Local Municipality, Thanduxolo Khalipha, has announced the appointment of Advocate Lonwabo Ronald Ngoqo as new Municipal Manager.
https://centralnews.co.za/matjhabeng-municipality-appoints-a…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — The Nelson Mandela Bay metro's acting chief operating officer, Lonwabo Ngoqo, has been appointed as the municipality's 18th acting city manager in 10 years - and the 16th since 2020. The contract of f…
https://allafrica.com/stories/202510020417.html

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Fatih Atik's Take on the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Case: "Even Jammers Didn't Work!" - T... TGRT Haber TV.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWoY9NQL_-8

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.