Taking COSATU Today Forward, 14 May 2026
Norman Mampane
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Taking COSATU Today Forward
‘Whoever sides with the revolutionary people in deed as well as in word is a revolutionary in the full sense’-Maoo
Our side of the story
14 May 2026
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Contents
- Workers Parliament: Back to Basics!
- National Treasury releases Municipal Finance Management Act compliance report 2024/25
- South Africa
- COSATU vehemently rejects the blatantly unconstitutional composition of Parliament's Impeachment Committee
- International-Workers’ Solidarity!
- UNI Management Committee in solidarity with trade unions in Nepal
Workers’ Parliament-Back2Basics #ClassWar
National Treasury releases Municipal Finance Management Act compliance report 2024/25
13 May 2026
National Treasury today releases the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) compliance report for the 2024/25 year. The report assesses the compliance of municipalities with the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA).
Sections of the MFMA requires the National Treasury, in conjunction with Provincial Treasuries (PTs), to monitor and assess compliance by municipalities with the provisions of the Act. To give effect to this legislative responsibility in the Act, the National Treasury has compiled and issued a report titled “Strengthening Municipal Financial Management, MFMA Compliance Report” which provides the consolidated status of MFMA compliance and implementation by municipalities for the 2024/2025 financial year (01 July 2024 to 30 June 2025). The report is based on information submitted by municipalities through National Treasury’s compliance monitoring systems.
Key highlights reflected in the report include the following:
127 municipalities (49%) have systems of delegations (SODs) in place in the 2024/2025 financial year, signed by both the delegator and delegate, which is a decrease from 130 municipalities in 2023/2024. SODs are crucial for maintaining good governance, financial accountability, and effective service delivery.
84% (82% in 2023/2024) of the critical senior management positions were filled. The highest number of vacancies nationally pertained to the positions of Chief Risk Officers, Chief Audit Executives and Chief Financial Officers.
Non-compliance with SCM regulations remains a challenge in municipalities. Municipalities either fail to update their SCM policies to ensure compliance with the latest regulations or have not developed them at all. Although municipalities are required to review their SCM processes and implement corrective measures to resolve issues identified by the AGSA in audits, many fail to do so effectively. This has resulted in recurring irregularities, including irregular and wasteful expenditures.
The national Unauthorised Irregular Fruitless and Wasteful Expenditure (UIFWE) balance increased from R264.10 billion in 2023/2024 to R268.13 billion in 2024/2025, driven by systemic failures in internal controls and weak consequence management. Irregular expenditure remains the most significant contributor to the UIFWE balances, reflecting widespread non-compliance with procurement and financial regulations. Many municipalities lack robust systems to ensure the timely implementation of council resolutions on the recoverability or write-off of UIFWE. National Treasury has also observed high levels of write-offs rather than recoveries of the UIFWE across municipalities, which is indicative of the failure by municipalities to hold individuals accountable for financial misconduct.
The number of municipalities across the country with established disciplinary boards increased to 178 municipalities in the 2024/2025 financial year, as required by the Municipal Regulations on Financial Misconduct Procedures and Criminal Proceedings. However, of concern is the decline in the reporting of financial misconduct allegations in municipalities, the number of financial misconduct cases investigated and the number of officials whom disciplinary actions were taken against in relation to financial misconducts. The regressions may be an indication of various negative factors including delays in instituting and or in proceeding with disciplinary cases, weak enforcement of policies within municipalities and possibly a lack of understanding of disciplinary processes by municipalities.
The number of municipalities with updated cost containment policies increased from 161 municipalities in 2023/2024 to 170 municipalities in 2024/2025. Municipalities collectively achieved R5.06 billion in cost containment savings during 2024/2025, primarily through reductions in consultancy and other related expenditure. However, overspending on overtime poses a significant fiscal risk and highlights weaknesses in payroll management and internal controls There are still a significant number of municipalities that are heavily reliant on consultants, particularly in the areas of asset management, AFS preparation, audit support and estimates of landfill site provisions.
Further information relating to the implementation of the Asset Management function, the development and implementation of Audit Action Plans, existence and functionality of Internal Audit units, existence and functionality of Audit Committees and the submission of Annual Financial Statements (AFS) are also contained in the report. The report is available on the National Treasury’s website.
Notes to editors:
The primary source of the data in this report was extracted from the Muni eMonitor and Audit Action Plan system based on information submitted directly by municipalities on the system. Municipalities were requested to verify the data before submission; however, the data is based on pre-audited information. The data submitted in the report is still subject to audit by the Auditor General of South Africa and information may differ in comparison to actual audited results. Therefore, any queries on the data contained in the report should be referred to the relevant municipality.
Page 8 of the report contains further information relating to the limitations of the reported data.
Enquiries:
E-mail: Me...@treasury.gov.za
Issued by National Treasury
South Africa #ClassSolidarity
COSATU vehemently rejects the blatantly unconstitutional composition of Parliament's Impeachment Committee
Matthew Parks, COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator, 13 May 2026
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) vehemently rejects the blatantly unconstitutional composition of Parliament’s Impeachment Committee established to consider the Section 89 Report on President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Parliament as per the Constitutional Court directive has established a committee to consider the Section 89 Report. The Committee unlike other Parliamentary Committees must accommodate all 18 parties represented in the legislature.
Whilst COSATU appreciates Parliament’s desire to manage the number of Members of Parliament in the Committee, its decision on how parties will be represented on it is simply unconstitutional.
The Committee has been capped at 31 Members in an effort to include all 18 political parties, including those with negligible representation in Parliament. However, this has been done at the expense of the largest party in Parliament, the African National Congress (ANC), which in proportion to its representation is entitled to at least 12 Members or 40%, instead it has been allocated 9 or 30%.
This directly undermines the electorate which saw fit in the 2024 national elections to provide the ANC with 40% of the seats in Parliament.
Any attempt to dilute the will of the electorate in the composition of Parliamentary Committees not only undermines its own rules but is in direct conflict with the Constitutional requirement of proportional representation in Parliament and its Committees. It is a shocking attempt to negate the will of the public and is ripe for legal challenge. It is rank political amateurishness at best, and constitutional vandalism at worst.
COSATU urges Parliament to avoid playing fast and loose with its constitutional obligations, lest it be hauled before court once again.
The Impeachment Committee must reflect the outcomes of the 2024 elections and the representation of various parties in Parliament, this includes the 40% representation the ANC is legally entitled to. If this means the Committee must be enlarged, so be it.
Issued by COSATU
International-Solidarity
UNI Management Committee in solidarity with trade unions in Nepal
13 May 2026
UNI’s Management Committee voted unanimously to support trade unions in Nepal and reaffirm a statement by our Asia & Pacific region on protecting trade union rights in the South Asian nation. The government’s attempt to ban selected trade unions, particularly those representing public service workers, has been met by protest domestically and internationally, with global union federations denouncing the move.
The full text of the UNI Asia & Pacific statement is below.
35th UNI Apro Executive Committee Meeting
Statement on the Protection of Trade Union Rights in Nepal
The Executive Committee of UNI Asia & Pacific (UNI Apro) strongly condemns the announcement by the new government of Nepal to ban trade unions in the public sector as part of its 100-Point Agenda for Governance Reform, and expresses grave concern over the implications for workers’ fundamental rights.
With reference to the joint statement issued by Global Union Federations across the Asia-Pacific region on 8 April 2026, and informed by concerns shared by UNI’s Nepalese affiliates, UNI Asia & Pacific calls upon the Government of Nepal to reconsider this proposal in view of its constitutional and international obligations.
While we recognize the urgency to carry out governance reform, the proposed restriction of trade union activities in the public sector, including independently registered worker organizations, raises serious concerns under Nepal’s own Constitution.
Articles 34 and 35 of the Constitution of Nepal (2015) explicitly guarantee all workers the right to form trade unions and to engage in collective bargaining.
Nepal has further ratified ILO Convention No. 98 on the Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining. The ILO has consistently called on Nepal to strengthen alignment of its labour laws with international standards and to improve protections against anti-union discrimination. The proposed measure represents a step in the opposite direction at a critical moment.
We are also concerned that this Trade Union restriction plan in 100-Point Agenda was included without prior tripartite consultation, in contravention of the principles of social dialogue enshrined in ILO Convention No. 144. Reform measures that affect workers’ rights to organize must be developed with workers, not imposed upon them.
We therefore call upon the Government of Nepal to suspend implementation of the trade union activity restriction provisions, pending a thorough review of their consistency with Nepal’s constitutional provisions and its obligations under ratified ILO Conventions.
We urge the Government to engage in genuine social dialogue and negotiate in good faith with trade unions through the Central Labour Advisory Committee (CLAC) before advancing any reform measures affecting workers’ right to organize and bargain collectively.
Effective governance and the protection of workers’ fundamental rights are not mutually exclusive goals. The Government of Nepal can and should pursue its reform agenda through social dialogue, in full respect of its domestic and international obligations, so that reforms strengthen the rights of the workers who deliver essential public services to Nepal’s people.
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Norman Mampane (Shopsteward Editor)
Congress of South African Trade Unions
110 Jorissen Cnr Simmonds Street, Braamfontein, 2017
P.O.Box 1019, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa
Tel: +27 11 339-4911 Direct line: 010 219-1348