The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality received an unqualified audit from the Auditor General (AG) for the 2017/18 financial year.
This was revealed at the first council meeting of the year which took place last Thursday.
The AG found an improvement in the overall outcome of performance reporting in the City, earning it an unqualified audit on performance information and no audit findings were reported.
ALSO READ:
Metro hopes to adopt new resolution regarding closure of swimming pools.
In addition to this, the following improvements were noted:
• The city did not incur fruitless and wasteful, and unauthorised expenditure in the 2017/18 financial year;
• No audit findings on the incorrect application of SCM regulation 36. All deviations approved were in line with SCM regulation 36;
• A decrease of R198-million (42 per cent) in irregular expenditure from R472.6-m to R274.5-m; and
• The overall financial viability assessed as good, no long-term borrowings for financing day-to-day operations.
Mayor Mzwandile Masina says this displayed the metro’s commitment to good governance and accountability following the AG’s 2016/17 financial year audit.
Masina went on to say the metro’s ability to decrease expenditure by 42 per cent allowed the metro to continue to service impoverished communities and amplify service delivery in line with the metro’s pro-poor government stance.
“We will continue to cut irregular expenditure and maintain a zero-tolerance approach to fruitless, wasteful and unauthorised expenditure.
“Good governance allows the metro to attract much-needed investment, which will allow us to grow economic activity in Ekurhuleni,” said Masina.
ALSO READ:
Metro presents its plan to renovate Springs CBD
The audit committee, which tabled the report at the council meeting, is satisfied with the great improvement of the metro’s performance and acknowledged the achievement of an unqualified audit opinion for the 2017/18 financial year on the performance information.
Concerns over the lack of improvement in the quality of the annual financial statements submitted and poor document management processes in finance were highlighted on the report.
“We committed to implementing the AG’s recommendations expeditiously.
“The metro remains committed to transparency, accountability and clean governance.
“The citizens of Ekurhuleni remain at the centre of our efforts as an administration.
“Our fiscal management must be dedicated to producing the maximum output of quality service delivery to our people,” says Masina.
