The Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) has welcomed the National Assembly’s historic decision to approve the Public Audit Amendment Bill.
Auditor-General (AG) Kimi Makwetu says his office “knows that there are still other important legislative steps towards the finalisation of this review process, but we are encouraged by today’s decision as it will go a long way towards strengthening confidence in our country’s public sector governance systems”.
 
Last year, Parliament started a review of the Public Audit Act (PAA), the legislation that governs the operations of the AGSA, the country’s supreme audit institution. The amendments will – if approved through all the parliamentary and executive review processes – provide the audit office with the power to refer material irregularities to appropriate authorities to investigate as well as with a level of remedial power, including the recovery of money lost as a result of the irregularities. Material irregularities will include any non-compliance with legislation, fraud or theft, or a breach of fiduciary duty that caused or is likely to cause a material financial loss, the misuse or loss of a material public resource, or substantial harm to a public sector institution or the general public.                     

Issued by The Auditor General of South Africa