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Forensic auditors given 10 months to indentify looters, ill-gotten money

Moeti Mohwasa Moeti Mohwasa
Moeti Mohwasa

Minister for State President, Moeti Mohwasa, has revealed that the $4.3 million (about P60m) forensic audit will be concluded by the end of December 2025.

Responding to a question in Parliament recently, he revealed that in the 10 months that Dubai consulting firm, Alvarez & Marsal will conduct the audit, the project will be carried out in two phases.

Mohwasa also disclosed that Phase I of the project will develop a comprehensive forensic audit plan and project framework, including a risk assessment and mapping of government departments, agencies and state-owned enterprises.

He said that amongst the objectives will be to identify and assess corruption and fraud risks across ministries, departments, state owned entities (SOEs), and regulatory and oversight bodies.

The minister added it will also develop a risk-based forensic audit plan to audit governance, procurement, and regulatory compliance on a prioritised and targeted basis.

“It will provide a data-driven tool to monitor and mitigate corruption risks over time, develop and implement a project framework to oversee activities of the project and ensure alignment with objectives and communication requirements and conduct a comprehensive mapping of the mandate and operational and financial performance of the SOEs,” Mohwasa said.

The minister was responding to a question from the Leader of Opposition (LoO) Dumelang Saleshando, who had asked amongst others, when the audit exercise will be concluded and if the audit report will be made public.

Under Phase II, Mohwasa indicated that the auditors will conduct up to 30 forensic audits following the assessment performed in the audit planning stage.

“The objective of this phase is to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of governance structures and practices within government ministries, departments, state-owned enterprises, and regulatory authorities. “Also, this phase aims to assess the adequacy and effectiveness of systems, policies, and procedures to prevent and detect fraud and corruption,” Mohwasa said.

He added the audit will uncover instances of financial mismanagement, waste, fraud, or corruption and determine their magnitude.

The minister said it will identify responsible parties and provide evidence for potential legal or disciplinary actions. He emphasised that they will refer cases of fraud and corruption to a Special Investigations Unit.

Mohwasa also indicated that the audit will also assess the performance and effectiveness of regulatory and oversight authorities in fulfilling their mandates.

He said it will propose solutions to address identified gaps and improve the design, mandate, and structure of oversight and control functions.