R900 MILLION BLOWN ON TREASURY’S CONSULTANTS

National Treasury has spent more than R900 million on a programme in which specialised skills advisers support struggling municipalities countrywide, but the continued regression of audit outcomes raises questions about whether the expenditure leads to value for money.

The technical advisers’ core responsibility is to facilitate improved local government financial management capacity, as well as enhanced budget and financial management practices and improved audit outcomes through the provision of direct technical capacity support.

The advisers, pejoratively referred to as the “millionaires’ club” by critics, are appointed to the municipal finance improvement programme (MFIP) through a tender process that is open to individuals and companies. They cost the taxpayer an