KZN Legislature to tighten oversight amid governance and financial management concerns

The KwaZulu-Natal Legislature has pledged to sharpen its oversight of provincial departments and struggling municipalities, with Speaker Nontembeko Boyce singling out weak governance as a major contributor to poor service delivery, sluggish economic growth and lack of public confidence.

Presenting the Legislature’s 2026/27 budget, Boyce said the institution would strengthen its committee system and intensify scrutiny of how public funds are managed to ensure oversight translated into measurable improvements in government performance.

The Legislature, Boyce said, would focus its attention on departments with persistent governance challenges and poor audit outcomes.

“We will prioritise high-risk departments, those with the largest budgets, recurring audit findings, and service delivery challenges so that we can focus our efforts where it matters most in our pursuit of impactful oversight,” she said.

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Boyce called on the Legislature’s Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) Portfolio Committee to closely monitor the provincial department responsible for municipalities to ensure local councils fulfilled their constitutional obligations.

Oversight, Boyce said, should extend beyond checking compliance with legislation and instead assess whether interventions by the executive were producing tangible improvements in governance.

Our Portfolio Committee on COGTA needs to oversee the effectiveness of the MEC’s oversight efforts over municipalities.

“Focus must be on the MEC’s interventions where there are failures to improve performance, accountability and good governance at the local government level.

“Effective oversight over the MEC for COGTA must go beyond compliance and focus on measurable outcomes for communities,” she said.

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Boyce said the Legislature would continue working with the Office of the Auditor-General (AG) to strengthen accountability and improve transparency in the management of public finances.

The KZN Legislature’s 2026/27 budget was tabled amid a wave of nationwide anti-immigrant protests.

Beyond governance issues, Boyce used her budget speech to weigh in on the increasingly contentious debate around immigration, saying elected representatives had a responsibility to lead public discussions on the issue with “clarity and compassion”.

Migration, Boyce said, should be properly managed to avoid a situation where it turns into a crisis.

“Our responsibility is to ensure that migration is managed lawfully, humanely, and in a manner that upholds the dignity of every individual while safeguarding the interests and stability of our communities and the country in general,” she said.

Boyce cautioned against hostility towards foreign nationals, saying South Africa remained committed to the African Union’s vision of continental integration.

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MPLs, Boyce said, should encourage civic education and community dialogue to prevent illegal and unconstitutional responses to concerns about migration.

Let us reject narratives that divide us and instead embrace a shared African identity rooted in solidarity and cooperation.

“The challenges associated with migration, such as competition for resources or service delivery pressures, must be addressed through policy, planning and partnership, not prejudice and violence,” she said.