Local authorities fail to beat audit deadline
Lerato Maleke | Tuesday March 10, 2015 13:11
Among the councils, the South East is the worst offender after failing to submit accounts for audit in the last two years.
Speaking in Parliament last week Molale said his ministry is examining accounts for local authorities for the financial year 2012-2013. The audits of Land Boards for the financial year ended 31 March 2014 are nearly complete.
Molale said that the Local Authorities Public Accounts Committee (LAPAC) sat in May 2014 and audited four authorities with the assistance of the Auditor General. He said that in August 2014, the 2009-2010 books of local authorities were examined.
Among other things the minister stated that the Auditor General conducted performance audits on the Management of Sand and Gravel Mining Operations and the up-grading of Gaborone-Metsimotlhabe and Gaborone-Tloweng Border Post roads.
He said that two reports were prepared on Efficiency and Effectiveness of the Procurement and Asset Disposal System by Kgalagadi District Council and Maintenance of Council Buildings at the South East District Council by the Architecture and Buildings Services Department.
These were tabled before the respective full council meetings in September 2014. The minister said that a performance audit report on the Disposal of Government Boarded Vehicles/Mobile Plant is at the Government Printing and Publishing Services while the audit of the Youth Development Fund is at reporting stage.
He stated that seven preliminary studies are in progress, namely; ISPAAD Fencing Component, Construction of Buildings at the Councils by the Department of Technical Services in the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development. Others are the Infrastructure Development Construction of the internal roads in Ramotswa by the South East Council; management of the Gamodubu regional landfill by the Kweneng District Council; Prevention and control of the Foot and Mouth disease by the Department of Veterinary Services; coordination and monitoring of the implementation of the Environmental Assessments by the Department of Environmental Affairs.
Molale said that the Performance Audit Unit is also taking part in three collaborative Environmental Audit Research Projects as well as an update of the 2004 Guidance Material towards Auditing Waste Management under the auspices of the International Organisation for Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI).