The African Christian Democratic party said on Thursday it was worried that the Auditor-General's report for 2017/18 showed that only one of six entities in the department of public works received a clean audit.

In a speech prepared for delivery to parliament, ACDP legislator Wayne Thring noted that by its own admission the DPW was weakened by the absence of legislation which would enable it to properly act as the “landlord of the state”.

The failure to complete the review of the public works white papers of 1997 and 1999 had also resulted in other departments setting up their own construction and maintenance programmes. 

"Clearly all is not well in the department," Thring said.

The worst performing entity within the department, the Independent Development Trust (IDT) received a disclaimer audit opinion for 2017/18, due primarily to the fact that its systems were inadequate to provide assurance and matters which resulted in audit qualifications (black marks) in the previous year remained unresolved.

Additionally, the AG reported that recommendations on dealing with fraud at the IDT were not implemented.

Some of the areas of concern the Auditor-General's office identified for the entities included inadequate responses to the need to improve key controls and address risk areas, lack of adequate consequences for poor performance and transgressions as well as instability or vacancies in key positions.

"The DPW has a huge role to play in improving the lives of ordinary South Africans, by contributing to gross domestic product growth, creating meaningful jobs for the millions of unemployed, improving our skills base through EPWP (expanded public works programme) and by giving heed to the discrepancies raised by the Auditor-General," he said.

"The ACDP will continue to hold this department to account.”