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Municipalities still falling short on financial compliance, Treasury says

Sowetan · · 504 words · By Stella Mapenzauswa
Governance and Accountability Municipal Financial Mismanagement National Treasury Oversight
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What to know about Governance and Accountability

Financial management remains subpar in many municipalities, with unauthorised irregular fruitless and wasteful expenditure increasing to R268.13bn in the 2024/2025 financial year from R264.1bn previously, the National Treasury says.

Claims checked 6
Techniques found 1
Topics 3

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center100%
Right0%

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

What happened

Financial management remains subpar in many municipalities, with unauthorised irregular fruitless and wasteful expenditure increasing to R268.13bn in the 2024/2025 financial year from R264.1bn previously, the National Treasury says.

Why it matters

Non-compliance with supply chain management regulations is still a headache, with many municipalities either failing to update their policies or not developing them at all, it said in its latest Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) compliance report.

Common ground

“This assessment of municipalities’ compliance with the MFMA in 2024/25 reveals a governance environment that remains fragile and uneven, despite incremental progress in areas such as cost containment and submission rates of annual financial statements,” it…

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.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.sowetan.co.za/news/2026-05-14-municipalities-still-falling-short-on-…

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 70% 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 6 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 3
check_circle Corroborated 2
info Single Source 1
verified
Claim 1: “The number of municipalities with updated cost containment policies increased to 170 in 2024/2025 from 161”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence mentions disciplinary boards (178 municipalities) but does not mention the number of municipalities with updated cost containment policies (161 to 170).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Aboriginal Tasmanians (palawa kani: Palawa, Pakana) are the Aboriginal people of Tasmania, the large island south of mainland Australia. Aboriginal people lived in Tasmania for tens of thousands of ye…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aboriginal_Tasmanians
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of star systems within 75–80 light years of Earth. The closest B-type star, Regulus, is in this list.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_star_systems_within_75…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ( or-EE-lee-əs; Latin: [ˈmaːrkʊs au̯ˈreːli.us antoːˈniːnʊs]; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Ne…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcus_Aurelius
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 2: “The Treasury found the number of municipalities with established disciplinary boards increased to 178 in 2024/2025”
CORROBORATED
Both SAnews and the National Treasury's MFMA compliance report (referenced in the government portal and news summaries) confirm that the number of municipalities with established disciplinary boards increased to 178 in 2024/2025.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — “The number of municipalities across the country with established disciplinary boards increased to 178 municipalities in the 2024/2025 financial year, as required by the Municipal Regulations on Finan…
https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/scm-non-compliance-pe…
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web search NEUTRAL — National Treasury releases Municipal Finance Management Act compliance report 2024/25. 13 May 2026.
https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/national-treasury-r…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The National Treasury officially released the Strengthening Municipal Financial Management, MFMA Compliance Report for the 2024/25 financial year, covering the period July 01, 2024 to June 30, 2025.
https://www.polity.org.za/article/treasury-confirms-continue…
verified
Claim 3: “finance minister Enoch Godongwana last week ordering Johannesburg mayor Dada Morero to immediately halt a R10.3bn wage increase agreement”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
While Wikipedia confirms Dada Morero is the Mayor of Johannesburg, there is no evidence in the provided search results regarding an order from Enoch Godongwana to halt a R10.3bn wage increase agreement.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sello Enoch Dada Morero is a South African politician who has been the Mayor of Johannesburg since 16 August 2024, a position which he previously held for 25 days, from 30 September 2022 until 25 Octo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dada_Morero
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The G20 or Group of 20 is an intergovernmental forum comprising 19 sovereign countries, the European Union (EU), and the African Union (AU). It works to address major issues related to the global econ…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G20
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Tito Titus Mboweni (16 March 1959 – 12 October 2024) was a South African politician who served as Minister of Finance of South Africa in the government of President Cyril Ramaphosa from 2018 to 2021.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tito_Mboweni
+ 3 more evidence sources
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Claim 4: “unauthorised irregular fruitless and wasteful expenditure increasing to R268.13bn in the 2024/2025 financial year from R264.1bn previously, the National Treasury says”
CORROBORATED
Three independent sources (South African Government portal, SAnews, and a news report on Treasury flags) all confirm the UIFWE balance increased from R264.10 billion in 2023/2024 to R268.13 billion in 2024/2025.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — South Africa’s municipalities are facing mounting governance and financial management failures, with irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure rising to R268.13 billion in the 2024/25 financial ye…
https://businessreport.co.za/2026-05-13-treasury-flags-deepe…
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web search NEUTRAL — The national Unauthorised Irregular Fruitless and Wasteful Expenditure (UIFWE) balance increased from R264.10 billion in 2023/2024 to R268.13 billion in 2024/2025, driven by systemic failures in inter…
https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/national-treasury-r…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The national Unauthorised Irregular Fruitless and Wasteful Expenditure (UIFWE) balance increased from R264.10 billion in 2023/2024 to R268.13 billion in 2024/2025. This was driven by systemic failures…
https://www.sanews.gov.za/south-africa/scm-non-compliance-pe…
info
Claim 5: “these collectively achieved R5.06bn in cost containment savings, primarily through reductions in consultancy and other related expenditure”
SINGLE SOURCE
Only one relevant source (Politicsweb) confirms that municipalities achieved R5.06 billion in cost containment savings through reductions in consultancy and related expenditure. Other results are irrelevant.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Municipalities collectively achieved R5.06 billion in cost containment savings during 2024/2025, primarily through reductions in consultancy and other related expenditure.
https://www.politicsweb.co.za/news/non-compliance-with-scm-r…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — ‘Music therapy for stress reduction: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17437199.2020.1…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — We compared policy evaluations to policies identified in the literature. Of the 41 groups of cost containment policies, 21 were not evaluated, and even within the remaining groups several policies rem…
https://www.academia.edu/124656318/Effective_healthcare_cost…
verified
Claim 6: “Only 127 municipalities, or 49%, had systems of delegation... in place in the 2024/2025 financial year.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for this claim consists of irrelevant search results (Safety Index, Investopedia, a TV series, and Wikipedia entries for the number 127). No evidence was found regarding municipal systems of delegation.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 127 may refer to: 127 (number), the natural number following 126 and preceding 128 AD 127, a year in the 2nd century AD 127 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC 127 (band), an Iranian band NCT 127, a sub…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/127
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — 127 Hours is a 2010 biographical drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Danny Boyle. The film mainly stars James Franco, with Kate Mara, Amber Tamblyn, and Clémence Poésy appearing in brief …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/127_Hours
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Fiat 127 is a supermini car produced by Italian car manufacturer Fiat from 1971 to 1983. It was introduced in 1971 as the replacement for the Fiat 850. Production of the 127 in Italy ended in 1983…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_127
+ 3 more evidence sources
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.