Pretoria:North West The North West Provincial Treasury is enhancing its support for municipalities to improve the management, expenditure, and reporting of infrastructure grants, in collaboration with national and provincial government partners.
According to South African Government News Agency, the Provincial Treasury, along with the National Treasury, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), and the National and Provincial Disaster Management Centres, organized a Municipal Unspent Infrastructure Grant Roll-Over engagement session. This session aimed to assist municipalities with managing key infrastructure grants effectively.
The engagement was aligned with the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) Circular No. 134, which details the necessary rules, deadlines, and documentation for municipalities to submit rollover applications for unspent conditional grants under Section 21(2) of the 2025 Division of Revenue Act (DoRA).
Focus areas of the session included the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) and the Municipal Disaster Recovery Grant, emphasizing sound planning, efficient expenditure, accurate reporting, and compliance with grant requirements. Ndlela Kunene, the Head of the Provincial Treasury Department, highlighted the importance of effective grant management for municipal financial performance and compliance, stressing the need for public resources to translate into infrastructure and services that meet community needs.
Kunene noted that the session took place amidst equitable share withholdings affecting municipalities and an increasing need for effective municipal responses to natural disasters impacting communities and infrastructure in the province. These challenges underscore the need for sound financial management, credible planning, and effective coordination among municipalities and the supporting provincial and national institutions.
Rollover applications were received from 10 municipalities in the North West and will be assessed by the National Treasury according to the requirements of MFMA Circular No. 134, which mandates that rollover requests must stem from unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances to be considered for approval.
Kunene emphasized the role of the Municipal Disaster Recovery Grant in enabling municipalities to address infrastructure damage from declared disasters, while the effective implementation of the MIG is vital for addressing infrastructure needs. The Provincial Treasury will continue its collaboration with National Treasury, CoGTA, disaster management structures, and municipalities to strengthen financial management and ensure the effective implementation of municipal grants.
These collaborative efforts aim to position municipalities to manage public resources responsibly and ensure that infrastructure funding supports sustainable service delivery and improved community conditions.
