The National Government’s Intervention in the Provincial Government: A Case of Limpopo Province in South Africa

Abstract

This paper seeks to highlight whether the administration of the Limpopo Province by the national government was necessary, and whether there has been a difference (improvement) in terms of the audit findings before and after the intervention of the national government. The South African national government, through the national treasury, placed the Limpopo Province under administration in 2011 to ensure sound financial footing and enable the province to exercise proper financial management, fair and transparent procurement. They also sought to address poor assets management, over expenditure, violation of supply management regulations and deliver appropriate services at the correct costs. However, the 2012/13 audit findings in the Limpopo Province indicate that there has not been an improvement regarding the audit outcomes in the specified areas. This has happened after the national government took control of the province in terms of section 100 (1) (b) of the Republic of South African Constitution of 1996. Nine departments did not achieve 20% or more of their planned targets compared to five in the previous year. The paper concludes that the intervention by the national government in the Limpopo Province did not bring about the desired improvement. Even worse, there has been an overall regression of provincial audit outcomes from the results of past years.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n20p699