Bloemfontein - The Free State Department of Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation has received an award for producing the most transparent, understandable, accurate and accountable annual reports for two years in a row.
The department on Friday was awarded the Southern Africa Institute of Government Auditors (SAIGA) Award which aims to award achievements in financial reporting practices.
The department not only emerged as the overall winner out of 134 national and provincial departments, but has also raised the bar by scoring 95.90 percent, the highest points ever in the eight-year history of the event.
The department is the second to win the SAIGA award twice, after the provincial Health Department scooped the award in 2005 and 2003.
"The good performance is an outcome of both individual and collective contributions, efforts and wisdom" said MEC for the department, Dan Kgothule.
"The fact that the award is for the best performance both at national and provincial level further speaks volumes about the good work the department has done in putting together an annual report that is reflective of the work being done in the department" he said.
SAIGA Executive President, Professor Dieter Gloeck said the department had taken accountability to a new level. "It is specifically at the field of accountability and reporting in particular that SAIGA' s Annual Public Sector Reporting Awards are directed."
He urged the private sector to follow in governments efforts to create openness, transparency regarding their financial reports.
"The accountability arrangements in the public sector today are far ahead of those in the private sector, where legislation does not yet require all companies to have audit committees," said Gloeck.
