This is according to Chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee, Vusi Tshabalala. Speaking to OFM News earlier about the Committee’s oversight role, Tshabalala says their key area is to ensure that there is consequence management in the public sphere and ensure that there is value for money. 

Following damning Auditor-General reports over municipal woes and how departments continuously incur high irregular and wasteful expenditure, Tshabalala says there is a high need to ensure that accounting officers, officials, and political principals are held accountable. He says the local and provincial government, together with public entities, are characterised by a lack of accountability and poor governance. Tshabalala says this must come to an end, and one way of achieving that is to hold those implicated in wrongdoings accountable.

“People must account. If the monies were used unauthorised, the Municipal Manager must be able to charge the CFOs, the CFOs must be able to charge the Supply Chain Managers, the Supply Chain Managers must also be able to charge junior managers and officials implicated."

Tshabalala added municipalities and provincial departments must provide evidence for very cent spent and the quality of the work done must not be questionable whether it concerns the building of stadiums, roads, or any other project.

He vows the committee will upscale its oversight role and enforce “unpopular decisions”.

OFM News