After 30 years in office, Limpopo Auditor-General (AG) Dirk Strydom, says it is time for him to tackle new challenges.
Strydom will retire at the end of September.
He says he started his career at the AG office in Pretoria at the age of 18.
“At the time, it was a job that was available and I needed a job. I had a flair for figures.
“With time the passion for the work of the Auditor-Ge-neral and what it stands for, grew in me,” he explains.
Strydom moved to Polokwane in 1991.
“My mother and grandpa-rents lived in the city and I applied for a position here. At first, I was part of the audit team that worked in Lebowakgomo, but later joined the provincial team.”
He feels he played his part in the development of the AG office in Limpopo and that “now is a good time to try something else”.
At only 48-years-old, the world is Strydom’s oyster.
Strydom explains that any promotion within the AG office, would mean a move to Pretoria, and he is not prepared to do that.
“I love the province and its people and do not want to move away.”
He explains that he has some possibilities lined up in the private sector.
“Maybe I would be available for government consultation in the future, but for now I want to have a cooling period to avoid a conflict of interest,” he says.
Strydom says the times when he was able to effect change for the better were the most satisfying times during his career.
“The most frustrating part of the job was when things did not improve despite our recommendations and advice. You can make recommendations, but cannot force people to listen to you. You can lay out a roadmap for departments to follow, but if they decide to take shortcuts, you can’t help them anymore.”
He says he experienced some especially frustrating cases during the last six years.
Strydom has much praise for the new head of the health department, Dr Sipho Kabane and feels strongly that Kabane will turn the department’s service delivery around. “The impact will be felt at grassroots level, but it will take time.”
He says he wants to travel now that he might have more free time at his disposal.
“I don’t plan my travels too far ahead. I love to visit obscure places. Last year, I travelled to Sri Lanka and I have visited the Ukraine and Hungary too. I love to visit places and experience them. When I come back, I read up on the places I’ve been to. The world is open to experience.”
He also loves reading, especially history books.
Strydom owns a smallholding outside the city and has many things to do there over the next few months. He says he has every intention to take things a bit easier for the time being.
He says he would like to do more forensic investigations in the future, because he finds this type of investigation an intense challenge.
