The Gauteng Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) spent R19,9 million on consultants for business and advisory services while the department’s senior management vacancy rate is at 89,5%.
This was revealed in the department’s annual report for the 2018/19 financial year.
According to the report the department’s expenditure on consultants increased by R12 million.
This is a marked increased from 2017/18 financial year where they spent R6.7 million.
The money could have been better spent filling the vacant senior management posts.
This would save the department money as there will be no need to use as many consultants.
This clearly indicates that the department is incapacitated in terms of business and advisory services and there is a dire need of such internal services within the department.
Its high time that this department fills all the vacant senior management posts to ensure that adequate support is rendered to our embattled municipalities.
I will be tabling questions to the Gauteng COGTA MEC, Lebogang Maile in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature to ascertain the reasons why the department has not yet filled the senior management posts, when will they be filled and why the department continuously increases its expenditure on consultants’ services.