The Auditor-General of South Africa (AG) has indicated their intention to oppose Sakeliga’s court application to obtain the annual management reports of 154 problem municipalities.
Sakeliga launched this court application against the AG in July, to make public for the first time the AG’s undisclosed advanced management reports of 154 problem municipalities.
Our court application stems from the AG’s refusal on 10 February this year, in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA), to make available the municipal management reports to Sakeliga.
We argue in court papers that the AG has a constitutional duty to make public not only the advanced management reports of the 154 identified municipalities, but also all reports in respect of all municipalities. The release of the reports could herald a new era in municipal litigation, accountability for state officials, and disclosure of how taxes were spent.
The AG must file an answering affidavit in the case by 24 August, after which Sakeliga will take further steps to bring the case to trial.
Read Sakeliga’s court papers here.