Following a meeting between Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson and the Auditor-General South Africa (AGSA) on September 25, the two parties have committed to working together to assist the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) in improving its performance and auditing processes.

The meeting was held to go over the DPWI’s poor performance during the 2022/23 financial year, which was hampered by systemic failures to meet its targets on delivery and poor financial management.

“After years of adverse findings by the AGSA, it is important that drastic action is taken to quickly improve oversight, accounting, and reporting within the department. The findings that irregular expenditure jumped from R98-million in 2020/21 to R521-million in 2022/23 is deeply concerning because it is public money that is being wasted,” Macpherson said.

The commitment between Macpherson and the AGSA forms part of the changes that he has committed to implementing to improve audit outcomes within the DPWI following the “disastrous” results reported a week ago by the AGSA.

The hope is that this will ensure that public money is spent on intended outcomes and that corruption is met with consequence management.

“Working together with the AGSA will help increase the oversight within our branches to expose any malpractices, as well as help officials to improve their reporting to ensure that we can begin the journey to meeting our targets and audit outcomes within the shortest timeframe possible.

“It remains my commitment to build a professional public service within the department which can better serve all South Africans,” Macpherson said.

He added that the meeting with the AGSA formed part of other actions taken to avoid the waste of public money within the DPWI, including removing the ability for officials to spend up to R20-million without accounting officer approval and requesting a skills audit at the senior management service level to ensure the department had the necessary skills.

“The actions we are taking are part of our goal to lay a strong foundation at the DPWI to ensure we deliver on our mandate to use public assets for public good and to turn South Africa into a construction site.

“It will not be an overnight journey to resolve these problems, but it is something I am committed and determined to do at all costs,” Macpherson said.