Eastern Cape’s top-performing municipality also known for its snowy climate

The Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) recently released its annual audit of local municipalities, highlighting the best-performing ones.

The 2023/24 financial year review identified the top municipality nationally and in each province.

AGSA also named 25 municipalities that secured consecutive clean audits, with only one municipality in the Eastern Cape earning this distinction.

Eastern Cape’s best-run municipality

According to the results of the audit, Joe Gqabi District Municipality was the best-run municipality in the Eastern Cape.

Joe Gqabi District Municipality has achieved a clean audit for the fourth consecutive year, making it the only municipality in the province to do so.

This status means the municipality submitted accurate financial statements, reported performance objectives correctly, and complied with all applicable legislation.

“This recognition reflects on the hard work undertaken by the municipalities and entity to implement clean governance and having the systems and records in place to justify their financial and performance status,” the municipality said, as per BusinessTech.

Joe Gqabi District Municipality sits in the north-eastern part of the Eastern Cape, bordering the Free State and Lesotho. 

Local municipalities that make up the district include Walter Sisulu, Senqu, and Elundini. The area also encompasses high-altitude regions like Barkly East, Lady Grey, and Rhodes, sitting in the Stormberg Mountains and near the Drakensberg Escarpment, which occasionally receive a lot of snow during strong winter cold fronts.