The executive mayor of the metro, Clr Mzwandile Masina, has welcomed the Auditor General’s (AG) 2017/2018 Financial Year Audit, which gave the metro an unqualified audit opinion.
The metro’s audit committee tabled the AG’s Report during the first ordinary council meeting for the year, last Thursday.
The committee reviewed and discussed the annual financial statements of the municipality and its entities.
An improvement in the overall outcome of performance reporting was found.
The metro received a clean audit on performance information and no audit findings were reported.
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In addition to this the following improvements were noted:
• The city did not incur fruitless and wasteful, and unauthorised expenditure in the 2017 to 2018 financial year.
• No audit findings on the incorrect application of SCM regulation 36, all deviations approved were in line with SCM regulation 36.
• A decrease of R198-million (42 per cent) in irregular expenditure from R472.6-m to R274.5-m.
• The overall financial viability assessed as good, no long-term borrowings for financing day-to-day operations of the metro.
“We have continued to display our commitment to good governance and accountability following the AG’s 2016/2017 financial year audit,” said Masina.
“Our ability to decrease irregular expenditure by 42 per cent allows us to further service our impoverished communities and amplify our service delivery in line with our pro-poor government stance.
“We will continue to cut irregular expenditure and maintain a zero-tolerance approach to fruitless, wasteful and unauthorised expenditure.
“Good governance allows the metro to attract much-needed investment, which will allow us to grow economic activity in the City of Ekurhuleni.”
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The auditing committee is allegedly satisfied with the great improvement in the metro’s performance and acknowledged the achievement of a clean audit opinion for the 2017/18 financial year on the performance information.
Concerns over the lack of improvement in the quality of the annual financial statements submitted and poor document management processes in finance were highlighted in the report.
“We are committed to implementing the AG’s recommendations expeditiously,” said Masina.
“We remain committed to transparency, accountability and clean governance.
“Residents of the metro remain at the centre of our efforts as an administration.
“Our fiscal management must be dedicated to producing the maximum output of quality service delivery to our people.”
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