Note to broadcasters: Please find linked soundbites in English by Freddy Sonakile
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in North West notes the government’s enthusiastic self-congratulation regarding its improved departmental audit outcomes. This follows yesterday’s engagement between Premier Lazarus Mokgosi, Speaker Desbo Mohono, and a delegation that included other key officials with Auditor General Tsakani Maluleke on the 2023/24 Provincial Audit Outcomes.
The audit cycle for 2023/24, which ended on 31 March 2024, shows that nine departments received unqualified audit outcomes, while both the Provincial Treasury and the North West Provincial Legislature achieved the coveted clean audits. However, one department still managed to snag a qualified audit outcome.
While these improved audit outcomes may look good on paper, they are ultimately meaningless if the residents of the North West still don’t have access to basic services like water and sanitation. These audits seem more like window dressing than a genuine commitment to improvement.
The North West province continues to grapple with the highest unemployment rate in the country, hosts some of the worst-performing municipalities, and is experiencing historically low levels of service delivery. To top it all off, the province is riddled with numerous incomplete projects, yet no one seems to be held accountable. It’s truly business as usual.
The DA urges Premier Mokgosi to implement performance agreements with his Members of the Executive Council to ensure accountability for underperformance. After all, compliance with key legislation and effective consequence management are clearly not strong suits in a province where millions are misused without a second thought.
Until these audit improvements translate into real, tangible progress and development that directly benefits the communities, the DA believes they remain nothing more than hollow achievements.