Eastern Cape legislature members have three different versions of an annual report for a department that has received nine audit disclaimers in 10 years, the Public Service Accountability Monitor (PSAM) said on Thursday.
This was highlighted at a joint sitting of the legislature’s housing and local government committees last Friday that top housing, local government and traditional affairs officials did not attend.
Three versions of the department’s 2005/06 annual report were in circulation, but only one had been tabled, said PSAM researcher Chantelle de Nobrega.
”The committee expressed its frustration and impatience with the department’s inability to explain why documents that had not been tabled were being passed off as the 2005/06 annual report.”
Departmental spokesperson Mbulelo Linda confirmed that three versions of the report were compiled between August and September.
An initial report was submitted to the legislature and the Auditor General in time for an August deadline. Then two additional reports with additional information were drawn up and the third submitted in September.
”This was rejected because according to law we can’t submit the same report again,” said Linda. ”We would like to attribute this problem to a pure admin error.”
Said De Nobrega: ”Once something has been tabled, you can’t pass around other copies — it is owned by the legislature.”
The department has received nine audit disclaimers — issued when records are unavailable or of poor quality and spending cannot be confirmed — in the past 10 years. The 2005/06 audit disclaimer is the fourth consecutive one.
”This effectively means the department has been unable to adequately account for R4,17-billion since 2002/03,” De Nobrega said.
The PSAM criticised the absence of provincial minister Sam Kwelita, department head Sindisile Maclean and chief financial officer Malizo Puthu from the meeting.
Kwelita had a prior commitment. Maclean was on bereavement leave and was represented by a department general manager, said Linda.
”MEC [provincial minister] Kwelita reportedly chose to attend a mayoral inauguration instead, highlighting his disregard for the legislature and his unwillingness to account for the dismal situation in which his department finds itself,” De Nobrega said.
The department operated with only 57% of its staff complement in 2005/06, she said. — Sapa