‘Local authorities must account on public funds’
KEETMANSHOOP - //Kharas governor Aletha Frederick said even though local authorities are challenged to receive clean or unqualified audits they should at all times ensure that public funds are spent prudently and properly accounted for in terms of the legislation and regulations.
Frederick made these remarks at a week long eighth auditor general’s stakeholders briefing session for local authorities in the Hardap and //Kharas regions in Keetmanshoop on Monday, held under the theme ‘Working toward shared accountability’.
The governor said if local authorities desire to achieve clean audits, they should comply with the legislation and regulations, which require them to have strong leadership, management and discipline without any sort of compromise on accounting principles.
“Therefore, sturdy oversight, good corporate governance and sound financial management are not ends in itself but should result in better service delivery for our people,” she added.
Frederick said that clean audits have a direct bearing on service delivery and give local authorities the ability to address society’s major problems such as youth unemployment, availability of serviced land for housing, water, sanitation as well as provision of electricity that matter most to the masses.
“Clean audits are not the language of our masses, but in managing public finances prudently and ensuring value for money, the government is likely to release more financial resources to spend on public goods and services and that is the only thing that our people are interested to see,” stressed the governor.
She said that the dialogue should help local authorities to identify and amplify good practices across the public sector that will enable them to receive clean or unqualified audit opinions.
The deputy auditor general, Goms Menette, said the aim of the meeting is to allow dialogue between his office and top executive and senior management of village councils and town councils of the // Kharas and Hardap regions.
Menette said in order for local authorities to effectively deliver services, accountability needs to be shared for the system to flourish across diagonals in corporate governance.
“It is my hope that this briefing session will allow transparent communication between the administrative management of council and political leadership to harness shared accountability, especially on the accounts of the council,” he said.