MBOMBELA – The Department of Economic Development and Tourism has received its first-ever clean-audit outcome, as declared by the Auditor-General of South Africa, after scrutinising its performance and financial statements for the previous financial year, April 2015 to March 2016.
Congratulating the management of the department, an ecstatic MEC for finance, economic development and tourism, Mr Sikhumbuzo Eric Kholwane, extended his gratitude to the leadership of the former acting heads, Mr Thulani Mdakane, who is now the director general for the Office of the Premier, and Mr Jacob Mgidi for having “steered the ship in the right direction”.
“I am delighted that we are surely on the right track of ensuring that all departments and public entities in the province receive clean audit outcomes, which one can equate to a clean bill of health. The Department of Economic Development and Tourism has followed on the pioneering footsteps of one of our public entities – the Mpumalanga Gambling Board, which has since its inception, received clean audit outcomes, and the provincial treasury. We congratulate Team DEDT for this achievement, which should be maintained without failure. We say welcome aboard flight MP clean audit to the department,” said Kholwane.
A clean audit outcome is the highest and most outstanding performance rating which the Auditor-General can ever give to an institution for having performed outstandingly, in terms of its planned outputs and financial management. Kholwane has, however, urged the department to assist its other public entities to achieve the same audit outcome.