POLOKWANE – An astounding R9 billion in salary discrepancies, performance bonuses and other unauthorised and irregular expenditure is said to be listed in the education department’s Auditor-General (AG) audit report of 2013/14.
However, this has not yet been confirmed as the department has still not released the report. DA Limpopo leader, Jacques Smalle said although the report was tabled in the provincial legislature in the last week of September, it had not been distributed to legislature members, as was the usual procedure in such cases.
He said the DA was prepared to go to court to demand the release of audit report after the department allegedly refused to release it.
Smalle said some pages of the 800-page document was leaked to the DA, and contained financial scandals amounting to more than R9 billion in salary discrepancies, performance bonuses, unauthorised and irregular expenditure, and liabilities.
He said about 74% of departmental service commitments had not being met.
The document also allegedly names people and companies that benefited from these alleged irregularities. “The department is refusing to release the report because it is allegedly far too shocking to be seen by anyone but the ruling party and its cadres,” Smalle alleged, adding that the DA had applied to several parties for the report to be released. These included the education portfolio committee, provincial legislature, the education MEC and head of department.
Earlier this year the province’s former AG, Dirk Strydom, said the education department’s report had been sent to the national department as well as the national treasury because of a dispute over the AG’s findings.
The department received a disclaimer audit opinion, for the third year in a row. A disclaimer is issued when the AG could not form an opinion, and consequently refuses to present an opinion on the financial statements. This type of report is issued when the AG tried to audit an entity but could not complete the work due to various reasons, and as a result does not issue an opinion.
Standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) chairperson, Rob Tooley, said a Scopa hearing had been scheduled with the department, but had been postponed as education MEC Thembi Nwendamutswu was seriously ill. He said the hearing would probably take place in the first week of December, and due to the large number of questions that needed answering, two days had been set aside for the hearing.
Review requested comment on the matter from education spokesperson, Paena Galane, who said he would have to speak to someone in order to get clarity on the matter. However, by the time of going to print yesterday (Wednesday), Galane said the people he needed t speak to were still unavailable, as they had been in a meeting all day.
