Auditor- General Tsakani Maluleke

Auditor- General Tsakani Maluleke

Driving #cultureshift2030

Besides being able to speak every official language in the country, bar one, South Africa’s Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke has shown how well she understands what shapes the fabric of our country. Her office has launched a new strategy for strengthening efforts to hold public officials accountable, with the benefit for all residents quite clearly in her sights.

Born in Soshanguve, the Auditor-General began by following her father’s footsteps before deciding that she wanted to explore the accountancy route after she realised that people such as herself were underrepresented in the industry. Whilst the legal profession lost a principled, passionate and hardworking person, South Africans gained a responsible and committed public official who has a firm grasp of her office’s mandate and what it means for us all.

After completing her studies at the University of Cape Town, she joined PwC as a trainee accountant and started her public service career at the Eastern Cape Development Corporation where she worked as a Business Finance manager. A six-year stint at Izingwe Holdings was followed by a brief foray into the education sector at the Energy and Water Sector Education and Training Authority.

ASPIRING TOWARDS AN ACCOUNTABILITY ECOSYSTEM

In the Strategic Plan and Budget of the Auditor-General of South Africa (2022-2025), the Auditor-General recognised the office’s success over the past few years through the 4V Strategy: “Our long-standing 4V Strategy was underpinned by our aspirations to see a public sector characterised by a commitment to robust financial and performance management systems, preventative controls, oversight, accountability and ethical behaviour.”

To further the progress, the Auditor- General has outlined her vision for the end of this decade. “The AGSA’s [Auditor-General of South Africa] #cultureshift2030 strategy builds on the successes and gains that we have realised collectively through the implementation of the 4V Strategy.”

The Auditor-General acknowledges that the positive change cannot come from her office alone - the process has to involve all roleplayers within the “network of stakeholders that have a mandate and/or responsibility, whether legistavely or morally, to drive deeper and/or insist on public sector accountability.”

It’s here that the Auditor- General makes reference to the ‘accountability ecosystem’ which is hoped will be formed by the culture her office is seeking to shift, which will require all stakeholders to work together. “It recognises that even the most perfect financial and performance management systems will not be sufficient to advance the ambitions of our people for decent [sic] life if we do not influence positive change in the accountability culture in the public service.”

REAL-TIME AUDITS OF THE FLOOD RELIEF FUNDS

With emergency funds required in the wake of the floods that hit provinces along the eastern coast of the country, the Auditor-General heeded His Excellency President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call for the distribution of relief funds to be closely monitored. “In response to the President’s call, the AG authorised that the AGSA should undertake real-time audits of the funds set aside to provide muchneeded relief to communities in flood-ravaged areas,” reads the office’s media release.

A team of specialists was assembled to not only watch out for theft and fraud but also wasteful expenditure. The goal was to prevent problems rather than curing them, due to the reactive nature of auditing, which the statement acknowledged: “A real-time audit is still reactive and, therefore, transactions must take place for the audit to provide independent assurance that the transaction was performed correctly, that purchased goods or services were of the right quality and that they reached the intended beneficiaries.” •

Did you know?

• The Auditor-General’s late father, George Maluleke, was a judge in the Venda High Court

• Her sister, Basani Maluleke, is the former CEO of African Bank

• She’s served on various boards, including the Public Investment Corporation and the Independent Regulatory Body for Auditors

Sources: www.agsa.co.za www.dailymaverick.co.za www.agsa.co.za www.businessinsider.co.za