The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Finance on Tuesday said it has received a clean audit.
KZN Finance MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube welcomed the Auditor-General’s Provincial Treasury’s Audit Report for 2021/22, which revealed that the department has received yet another clean audit with no findings for the year ended 31 March 2022.
This is the Department’s 14th consecutive clean audit.
“The Financial year 2021/22 has been the most challenging one. That is why we welcome this positive news and we wish to thank you for all the support and guidance,” said MEC Dube-Ncube.
She made her remarks to officials from the Office of the Auditor-General following the presentation of the 2022 Public Finance Management Act Outcomes.
“Still we cannot rest on our laurels, we need to work hard to ensure that things are done in a proper manner across all government departments to realise a province free of negative audit findings,” said MEC Dube-Ncube.
“As the ones who are the custodians of the public purse we can’t continue to have other departments having negative findings. We need to support them using the skills at our disposal.”
Dube-Ncube said that KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government institutions have been improving, albeit slowly, and she expressed further commitment to working towards showing an overall picture of a Provincial Administration that is not only determined to service delivery commitments but also that is dedicated to infusing various efficiencies in financial governance.
“We understand the significance of having all departments, municipalities and state entities to have positive audit outcomes,” said MEC.
“We often say that it is not enough for Provincial Treasury to maintain clean audit outcomes as we have been over 13 years consecutively, but we need this efficiency to rub off other departments, municipalities and state entities alike so that the overall picture will be that of a government that cares about financial protocols as it should be.”
MEC Dube-Ncube said as the provincial government, she and her colleagues in the executive have taken drastic steps to ensure that audit outcomes improve, year after year.
“KZN Treasury is not only ready to provide technical assistance to departments, municipalities and state entities, but we also want to continue to be proactive and attend to possible adverse financial outcomes before they actually become real and negative,” she said.
The Provincial Deliverable Target is to achieve 90% unqualified audit outcomes in the Provincial Departments and public entities by 2024.
To achieve this target, the Provincial Treasury resolved to implement a multi-faceted Rapid Response Mechanism that includes providing ongoing specialist financial management and audit support to provincial agencies.
The move enhances financial management skills and capabilities as well as the application of proper and sound financial reporting processes with a focus on improved operational outcomes and better service delivery.
MEC Dube-Ncube thanked the Office of the Auditor-General for “continued support to make the department lead by example”‘.
She said that audit workshops should be strengthened and supported for them to yield fruitful outcomes.
The MEC also thanked the Provincial Treasury team of managers led by Head of Department, Carol Coetzee.
