AGSA Gives Western Cape A Clean Bill Of Financial Health

The Western Cape Government has once again delivered an impressive set of audit results.

This was highlighted during the presentation of the 2016/2017 audit outcomes by the Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA) in the Western Cape Legislature. 

An analysis of the audit outcomes for 2016/17 indicates that a total of 24 out of 25 auditees (12 departments, 1 legislature and 11 public entities) received an unqualified audit outcome on their annual financial statements.

Commenting on this Western Cape Minister of Finance, Dr Ivan Meyer said:

‘At the core of this government’s brand lies good financial governance. Twenty-four out of twenty-five unqualified audits confirm that the Western Cape Government can be trusted with public funds. Having no material misstatements on all our annual financial statements further confirms the quality of financial management within the Western Cape public sector.”.

The Western Cape also bucked what has become the national trend for public entities to achieve bad audit incomes.

Eleven Western Cape public entities, which include Saldanha Bay IDZ, the Government Motor Transport, Heritage Western Cape and Cassidra Pty Ltd received clean audits.

Ten out of the 13 provincial departments as well as the Provincial Legislature received a clean audit outcome.

The Department of Agriculture, which is generally considered to be the top agriculture department in the country, with a track record of clean audits and performance to support this view, has yet to finalize its audit.

Meyer: “Robust engagements between the Provincial Treasury and departments have laid the basis for embedding good financial governance as captured in the Western Cape Government’s Good Financial Declaration. The various levels of assurance bodies including the audit committees, internal audit, the auditor general and the oversight committees of parliament have all vital played a role in ensuring public funds are accounted for”.

A further pleasing aspect of the audit is that no Western Cape Government Department or Public entity was found to have flouted procurement legislation.

“We remain committed to a clean administration and the audit results bear not only testimony to this, but also justify the confidence the people of the Western Cape have in this government” said Meyer

ENDS