Pretoria - Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza has commended the departments in his administration for receiving unqualified audit opinions from the Auditor-General.
Auditor-General Kimi Makwethu visited Mpumalanga last week on a road show to communicate the provincial government’s audit outcomes for the 2013/14 financial year.
Five provincial departments -- Finance, Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Social Development, Mpumalanga Regional Training Trust and Gambling Board -- received unqualified audit opinions with no findings.
The Departments of Education, Human Settlements, Public Works, Roads and Transport, Culture, Sports and Recreation, Economic Development, Environmental and Tourism, Legislature, Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency, and the Office of the Premier received unqualified audit outcomes with findings.
Only four departments - Health, Mpumalanga Economic Growth Agency, Agriculture Rural Development and Land Administration, Community Safety Security and Liaison - received qualified audit opinions with findings.
Announcing the audit findings at a meeting with the Premier, Finance and COGTA MECs, Makwethu said he was satisfied with the level of improvements in the performance of the provincial government, as the province had escaped from the “reds”.
The Auditor-General attributed the success on effective leadership in the province. He said the chances of Mpumalanga continuously getting unqualified opinions were “real”.
However, Makwethu said areas of qualification on financial statements, which need attention, are mostly on the management of assets, irregular expenditure and investment properties.
He said the province must urgently fill the funded vacant posts of chief financial officers, heads of supply chain management units, heads of strategic planning and heads of monitoring and evaluation. These posts have been vacant for more than six months. – SAnews.gov.za
