08 Apr 2026

The Ministry of Local Government and Traditional Affairs is working in partnership with the Ministry of Finance to ensure that the new procurement oversight structures are fully compliant with the Public Procurement Act and remain sustainable within budget. 

Answering a question in Parliament on Tuesday, Minister Ketlhalefile Motshegwa acknowledged the delays in implementing the Public Procurement Act of 2021 at the Local Authorities (LAs) level. 

The minister, however, told Parliament that transition towards fully operationalising procurement oversight structures was currently undergoing a comprehensive review and would ensure that new oversight positions were seamlessly integrated into the local authorities’ establishment. 

“Council secretaries and town clerks as accounting officers have instituted interim or ad-hoc structures to advice on all procurement matters for strict compliance to the Act and ensure fairness and objectivity to the whole procurement process,” he said.   He stated that through utilising a structured, sequential process involving ad-hoc evaluation structures and procurement managers at D2 scale, the ministry had maintained support and procedural system of checks and balances.  He added that performance of the interim procurement oversight in place across local authorities had not so far warranted the need to conduct an assessment primarily due to the absence of the fully-fledged procurement oversight structure. 

On one hand, he said the Public Procurement Act of 2021 required that local authorities submitted procurement plans and monthly reports to determine compliance to the Act and they complied. 

To date, he said there had not been any reports on possible corruption maladministration actions or increase in tender-related complaints registered on account of absence of the oversight structure. 

“The ministry continues to promote integrity and accountability through sensitisation initiatives conducted by the anti-corruption structures across local authorities,” he said. He further indicated that the ministry was pursuing relevant government stakeholders to conclude the proposed oversight structure which would form part of the ministry’s organisational new structure.

Member of Parliament for Tati East, Mr Tlhabologo Furniture, had asked the minister regarding the status of procurement oversight structures under the Public Procurement Act of 2021.  Mr Furniture also sought explanations for delays in establishing such bodies, information on the specific officers and salary grades currently handling oversight as well as how such delays affected tender decisions by accounting officers. 

He further asked whether lack of formal structures has led to increased corruption or maladministration and asked for details on any corrective measures being implemented. ENDS