White River - Government officials have been challenged to do their bit to improve service delivery following the first ever symposium for Internal Audit and Risk officers in Mpumalanga.
Addressing 120 delegates at the symposium in White River on Tuesday, Finance MEC Pinky Phosa stressed that if everyone did their bit to improve performance, then the people of Mpumalanga would derive greater benefit from government programmes.
"You must know that if you do your work professionally, this will assist government to curb mismanagement, wasteful expenditure and will also minimise corruption in the public sector," said Phosa.
Delegates were given an opportunity to network at the symposium, to share ways to protect government resources and proactively manage risks to improve service delivery.
Phosa said internal audit and risk management professionals were critical to create a truly developmental public service that provided services in a fair and consistent manner.
"Managers, internal audit and risk officers are the custodians of good corporate governance because of the nature of their work," she said.
Phosa said internal auditors must ensure compliance with all Treasury regulations and other prescripts, especially the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA).
She also appealed to the delegates to promote risk management as part of sound organisational management in the province.
The symposium was one activity that sought to ensure the goals of Operation Clean Audit.
"We are determined to ensure that the systems are improved so that this administration becomes a beacon of accountable and clean governance," she said.
Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA), Nomsa Mtsweni, urged participants to work hard to ensure total compliance with all legislation governing the work of the government.
