Cape Town - Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke has committed her office to strengthen financial and performance management in local government, and emphasising the need for accountability and doing the basics right.
“We encourage councils, Parliament, provincial legislatures as well as the political and administrative leadership to play their part effectively and without fear or favour to ensure accountability for government spending and improvement in the lives of the citizens of this country,” Maluleke said.
“Ethical and accountable leadership should drive the desired change,” she added.
Maluleke made the undertaking in her 2019/20 consolidated report on local government audit outcomes that was tabled in Parliament on Wednesday.
Maluleke decried the many initiatives, plans and strategies, including direct interventions by national and provincial government, for having little effect in audit outcomes.
“Short-term solutions such as consultants, administration and additional monitoring, rules and capacitation are just not working.
“As an audit office, we have also done everything within our mandate and beyond to support municipalities; we have even taken on a more direct role in the accountability process through the material irregularity process.”
She said her office was convinced that if municipal leaders at both administrative and political level, supported by their provincial leadership, were fully committed to turn around local government towards the capable, efficient, ethical and development-oriented institutions envisaged by the Constitution, improvements were bound to follow.
“We have seen great results where leadership has moved beyond the politics and obstacles and taken definite strides towards a better future for the communities they serve.”
Political Bureau