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Statement on the Auditor-General's Report on Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs
25 October 2007
KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Agriculture and Environmental Affairs Mtholephi Mthimkhulu has noted the Auditor-General Terrence Nombembe's Report on the financial control environment within the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs.
MEC Mthimkhulu said the disclaimer on the 2006/07 financial year did not come as a surprise as the department had been in a parlous financial situation during the preceding two financial years of 2004/05 and 2005/06 which had resulted in the instituting of an internal audit investigation whose findings are in the public domain.
"As the Executing Authority of the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs, the Auditor-General's report on the immediate past financial year was anticipated because I knew very well that a resultant spill-over to the 2006/07 financial year as inevitable from two preceding financial years of 2004/05 and 2005/06. With the assistance of the Department of Public Service Administration and the Provincial Treasury, we have embarked on a turn-around strategy in order to do remedial work where weaknesses had been identified within the financial control environment.
"The new Head of Department Advocate Modidima Mannya has put in place control systems and monitoring mechanisms to ensure that what happened in the past three financial years do not recur," said Mthimkhulu.
MEC Mthimkhulu said he had been assured of support by the Standing Committee on Public Accounts and the Finance Portfolio Committee as the department embarks on the turn-around exercise to improve the financial control environment and the weaknesses identified in the Internal Audit Report.
"I remain optimistic that the financial control environment will improve for the better during the current financial year of 2007/08," said Mthimkhulu.
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Issued by: Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs, KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government
25 October 2007
Source: SAPA