Makwetu bemoans hostility of state entities

Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu says his staff are operating in an increasingly hostile environment, in which they are subjected to intimidation amid creeping noncompliance from government departments.

Makwetu was in Parliament on Tuesday to brief the legislature about the 2016-17 audit outcomes for the state.

He bemoaned the dragging of feet by more and more state entities and departments when submitting financial statements to his office and officials intimidating staff in his office.

He appeared before a joint meeting of the standing committee on public accounts, the standing committee on appropriations and the standing committee on the auditor-general.

Makwetu noted that officials from some institutions had placed pressure on audit teams to change conclusions, with the aim of avoiding negative audit outcomes, disclosure or having to reflect irregular expenditure.

“The findings are communicated throughout the audit and even from previous years, but contestations appear only at the end of audits, when it becomes apparent [the audit outcomes won’t change],” he said.

Tactics used in attempts to undermine audit outcomes included questioning methodology, personal threats, intimidation and delaying the submission of documents.

The committees later issued a joint statement in which they lamented the fact that irregular expenditure in the public sector was on the rise, while also noting that the government had performed poorly in meeting its water and infrastructure targets in 2016-17.

DA MP Tim Brauteseth said: “Contestations are concerning. People are allowed to go to court. What borders on [the] criminal is trying to manipulate findings and wording, intimidation and personal threats.

“I would like to find out which entities and departments are involved in such activities.”

ANC MP Nthabiseng Khunou said departments and entities were blatantly disrespecting the office of the auditor-general because they knew that there would be no consequences.