‘AG officials face bullying when uncovering problems’
WHEN faced with tough questions to account for public money, government officials resort to bullying tactics or dangling bribes in an attempt to convince the auditor-general’s audit teams to amend findings.
This was revealed by auditor-general Kimi Makwetu as he released his 2015-16 audit outcomes report of provincial and national government departments.
His office found irregular expenditure had increased by almost 40% since 201314 to R46.36-billion.
The report singled out continued non-compliance with supply chain management legislation as the main reason for the increase.
“When people know that there will be surfacing of embarrassing and difficult evidence through an audit, they try all manner of games to . . . get around that reality,” Makwetu said.
“It includes pressure that may be subtle . . . [or] the direct [bribery].” He released his findings alongside members of parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa), who want stricter punishment for public officials who break the law.
According to the report, six entities and departments were responsible for more than 50% of the irregular expenditure in 2015-16.
These were the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa, the KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga departments of health, the Gauteng road and transport and human settlements departments, and the Department of Water and Sanitation.
At R1.37-billion, fruitless and wasteful expenditure in 2015-16 was 14% higher than in 2013-14.