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Clean audits still a long way off for most PFMA auditees

“A clean audit should be the destination of every single auditee within the public service.” These are the words of Auditor-General (AG) Tsakani Maluleke, as she last week presented the consolidated audit outcomes for national and provincial government, public entities, and legislatures for the 2024/2025 financial year. The annual audits are conducted according to the Read more >

Political intervention needed to save local govt: Maluleke

Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke on Wednesday revealed to Parliament that only 41 of South Africa’s 257 municipalities obtained clean audit outcomes in the latest Municipal Finance Management Act audit outcomes for the 2023/24 financial year – although this is an improvement from the previous reporting period’s 35 municipalities. Furthermore, 99 municipalities obtained unqualified outcomes with findings, Read more >

Focus and hard work will help improve PFMA audits, says Maluleke

Auditor-General (AG) Tsakani Maluleke has cautioned the government of national unity (GNU) to prioritise service delivery and enhance inter-governmental planning in its capacities in both the executive and the legislature. Maluleke released the latest audit outcomes for provincial and national departments and entities, governed by the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), on 27 November in Read more >

AG to Parliament: local govt is ‘going backward’

South Africa’s municipalities are regressing in terms of their financial reporting; fruitless and wasteful expenditure stands at R7.41-billion – up from R4.89-billion in 2021/22 – while unauthorised expenditure is at R24.12-billion. And only 34 of the 257 that were audited for the 2022/23 financial year achieved clean audits. Delivering the 2022/2023 municipal audit outcomes in Read more >

R14bn loss to MIs, but some positive strides being made

The Department of Defence and the South African Post Office (Sapo) are two of the public entities expected to face investigations for their failure to investigate material irregularities (MIs) flighted by the Auditor-General (AG) during audit processes in previous financial years. Sapo was found by the AG to have failed to implement an integrated grants Read more >

AGSA seeing improvement in municipalities’ response to MIs

Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke appeared virtually before the parliamentary Standing Committee on the Auditor General on 9 February 2024, to brief members on progress regarding the material irregularities (MIs) it had identified during municipal audits. Maluleke said that the presentation aimed to brief the committee on the impact that AGSA has been making in the implementation Read more >

AG: depts improve reporting, but accountability instruments must too

National and provincial government has improved over the last four years on reporting on finances. They have also improved on performance and compliance with key legislation, but for continued improvement to be realised, the national legislature and its provincial counterparts must enhance oversight mechanisms that will ensure transparency and diligent performance by the departments that Read more >