By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The office of the auditor-general (AG) has hit back at the City of Ekurhuleni municipality, saying its statements that the public audit body was responsible for the delayed tabling of the municipality’s latest audit report are misleading.
This comes after Ekurhuleni’s finance MMC Nkululeko Dunga, from the EFF, pointed fingers at the auditor-general’s office, accusing it of holding up the process of tabling its annual financial statements before council.
The report, which speaks about the metro’s annual financial expenditure, performance and audit outcomes, was expected at a council meeting on January 25 – however, the council was left in the dark.
Dunga, is saying that the reason for delay in the release of the report is malicious and politically motivated and that the city’s finances are intact.
He said that “there are elements of politics that are being subscribed by the auditor general, it is unprecedented that at this time, they have still not submitted the auditor-generals report.”
In a statement released by the EFF in Gauteng, which Dunga is the provincial chairperson of, it said that the city submitted its financial statements in August 2023 and statements for its entities the following month. “The AGSA is obligated to submit an audit report… within three months… it has been four months, and there is no acceptable explanation for the delay,” said the EFF.
The statement also said that the delay is politically motivated because “the AGSA appears to be struggling with the fact that the city, the only municipality whose finances are under the [EFF], is on order.”
The AGSA responded to the EFF’s concerns, stating that claims of delaying the Ekurhuleni metro report were unfortunate and could mislead the public.
The AGSA said that the audit was completed on time, but the municipality’s management raised a dispute with the national audit office regarding its 2022/23 fiscal year audit outcome. This dispute, according to the municipality, caused the delay in tabling the report.
The Auditor-General said: The matter is being handled by two parties in line with the AGSA’s longstanding dispute-resolution process.
The AGSA emphasised its longstanding commitment to fair and transparent dispute resolution, as outlined in the Public Audit Act. It reiterated that its audits were always conducted with the best interests of the South African public at heart.