HARTBEESPOORT — Municipalities across the North West Province have been called to account for unspent infrastructure funding, with provincial and national authorities pushing for sharper planning, faster spending and stricter compliance.
The North West Provincial Treasury, working with the National Treasury, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), and the National and Provincial Disaster Management Centres, convened a Municipal Unspent Infrastructure Grant Roll-Over engagement session at Hartbeespoort.
The meeting was aimed at strengthening how municipalities implement and manage key infrastructure grants.
At the centre of the discussions were the Municipal Infrastructure Grant (MIG) and the Municipal Disaster Recovery Grant. Officials focused on sound planning, efficient expenditure, accurate reporting and compliance with grant requirements.
The session was held in line with the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) Circular No 134, which sets out the rules, deadlines and documentation municipalities must follow when applying to roll over unspent conditional grants under Section 21(2) of the 2025 Division of Revenue Act (DoRA).
Effective management of infrastructure grants, officials stressed, is not only about municipal financial performance and compliance. It is about making sure public money ultimately delivers infrastructure and services that respond to communities’ needs.
The engagement took place against a difficult backdrop: Equitable share withholdings are affecting municipalities, while natural disasters continue to damage communities and infrastructure across the province.
Head of Department Ndlela Kunene said these pressures reinforced the need for sound financial management, credible planning and effective coordination among municipalities and the provincial and national institutions responsible for supporting local government.
“These pressures reinforce the importance of sound financial management, credible planning and effective coordination among municipalities and the provincial and national institutions responsible for supporting local government,” Kunene said.
Rollover applications have been received from ten municipalities in the North West Province. These applications will be assessed by National Treasury in accordance with MFMA Circular No 134, which stipulates that rollover requests must arise from unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances to be considered for approval.
Kunene noted that the Municipal Disaster Recovery Grant is particularly important in enabling affected municipalities to respond to infrastructure damage arising from declared disasters, while effective implementation of the Municipal Infrastructure Grant remains central to municipalities’ efforts to address infrastructure needs.
“The Municipal Disaster Recovery Grant is particularly important in enabling affected municipalities to respond to infrastructure damage arising from declared disasters, while effective implementation of the Municipal Infrastructure Grant remains central to municipalities’ efforts to address infrastructure needs,” Kunene said. “The Provincial Treasury will continue working with National Treasury, COGTA, disaster management structures and municipalities to strengthen financial management and support the effective implementation of municipal grants.”
Through these collaborative efforts, the department said it seeks to ensure municipalities are better positioned to manage public resources responsibly and that infrastructure funding contributes to sustainable service delivery and improved conditions in communities.
