If you want to know why, 18 years into our democracy, the government continues to battle to deliver services to millions of needy South Africans, look no further than the auditor-general's latest consolidated report on local government audit outcomes.
The report for 2011-12 reveals that, of the country's 278 municipalities, only 17 councils and municipal entities obtained clean audits last year - the same number as in 2010/2011, a situation auditor-general Terence Nombembe describes as ''stagnant''.
Crucially, not one of the country's major metros got an unqualified audit.
It gets worse. Some 73% of municipalities are severely hampered in their ability to deliver services because key officials lack the necessary skills, while many crucial positions are not filled.
With chief financial officers, municipal managers, supply chain managers and other specialists in such short supply, 71% of the entities audited were dependent on consultants to assist with financial reporting, pushing costs up by an additional R378-million last year.
Ordinary South Africans are clearly still paying the price for the appalling tactic of deploying ANC cadres to crucial posts at local government level - and elsewhere.
To be fair, the national government appears to have realised the error of its ways and insists that it is now committed to the creation of a professional local government corps.
To this end, legislation is to be enacted to lay down minimum requirements for municipal managers and other office-bearers.
But it is the examples of councils whose audit outcomes improved - George, Langeberg and Mossel Bay in the Western Cape - that provide the real inspiration.
The secret of their success, as Nombembe points out, is an effective and committed leadership.
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