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28 June 2022 Media Statement: Auditor General clarifies ambiguous reporting

Media Statement: Auditor General clarifies ambiguous reporting

For Immediate Release
28 June 2022

The Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA) recently directed a letter to Garden Route District Municipality (GRDM) Municipal Manager, Monde Stratu, to clarify the ambiguous reporting done on 15 June 2022 during a media briefing session. The AG, during the session, tabled a report outlining the 2020/21 Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA) audit outcomes of local government.

The AGSA, in its letter to GRDM, stated:

“The GRDM has achieved a clean audit outcome due to the adequacy of the action plans that were instituted to address prior year findings and we commend the municipality on this achievement.”

“We would like to further clarify that:

  • the statement by the Auditor-General, during the tabling press conference, was in relation to municipalities residing within the boundaries of the district and not to the GRDM itself, hence the reference to auditees that had obtained a qualified and unqualified audit outcome, and
  • the paragraph included in the provincial overview of the general report was in reference to the fact that the GRDM had not obtained a clean audit outcome in the prior year (2019-20) and therefore did not sustain/extend their clean audit outcome from the prior year, unlike the other Western Cape district municipalities.”

The GRDM issued a media release about its Clean Audit position in December last year – Media Release: Garden Route DM celebrates Clean Audit and commits to retain it

GRDM remains committed to ensuring that it has all preventative and detective controls in place to ensure good governance continues to be embedded in our organisational culture for years to come. The audit outcome was, therefore, a result of a concerted effort by all officials to ensure that good governance and sound financial management remain at the heart of what we do at the Municipality,” said Monde Stratu.

A copy of the letter is included below:

ENDS