NPO celebrates good governance outcomes
The centre held its 32nd AGM on April 18 and celebrated its past successes.
House of Mercy held its 32nd AGM on April 18 and celebrated the centre’s successes over the past.
According to chairperson Belekazi Mbelle, the past financial year, ending March 31, 2023, was challenging, but the organisation’s resilience and focus on good governance paid off.
“We were able to walk with a sense of fulfilment as the three-year brutal tenure that started in 2020 ended.
“Despite the challenges faced, the organisation made significant strides in its financial performance.
“The financial year started with enthusiasm, but the announcement of a budget reprioritisation for all NPOs by the provincial government brought a new wave of anxiety.
“However, the organisation remained focused and was able to navigate through the challenges.”
Mbelle said the financial performance for the period under review showed a 2% improvement, translating to R4 409 996.
“This was a significant achievement considering our environment and circumstances.
“The same increase also had a positive impact on reducing substantial debt, particularly for debt related to amenities, salaries and taxation.
“All bad debt was eliminated with good governance and strategies implemented by the operations team, and we are currently in a healthy financial position and able to settle all our obligations on time and without fail,” said Mbelle.
Emphasising that their sustenance is primarily from the Department of Social Development’s Service Level Agreement, Mbelle said this has ensured consistent income growth based on good governance in the management of the rehabilitation centre.
“The operations team was able to institute increases in employees’ salaries after a seven-year drought of limited financial resources and previous harsh financial performance.
“The improved financial standing also led to an upgrade of the centre, encouraging referrals directly from employers. This has also encouraged us to invest more resources in the delivery of the health programme itself.”
The following members were appointed to the board: Abram Mokoena, Douw Botes, Thami de Bruin, Susan Mafisa, Belekazi Mbelle, Frazer Morrison, Victor Kakudi, Venesia Willense and Mbali Sibisi. Nwanda Incorporated remains the auditor for House of Mercy.
“Our cut-throat relationship with our auditors keeps us on our toes because they highlight probable risks before their occurrence. This helps to distil financial compliance, even though it may be a bitter pill to swallow when the risk has not occurred,” said Mbelle.
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