The province’s two biggest spenders, health and education, were yesterday lambasted again for their abysmal book-keeping.
After qualified audits from the auditor-general (AG) on their 2014-15 financial year records, Bhisho legislature’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) had highlighted their violations of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), treasury regulations and supply chain management provisions.
Yesterday the two departments were meant to provide their responses to Scopa on the negative findings.
However the education delegation, led by MEC Mandla Makupula, was unceremoniously kicked out before discussions even started. This is the second time in two years education has been rejected at a Scopa hearing.
Earlier, health was grilled on its irregular expenditure of more than R11-million in the year under review and R235-million “relating to prior years”.
The delegation was also quizzed about fruitless, wasteful and unauthorised expenditure, and disciplinary measures for those involved.
The Scopa committee was led by UDM MPL Max Mhlathi.
The department, led by Dr Thobile Mbengashe, was also asked to account for poor control measures and inconsistent implementation of policies.
In explaining the irregular expenditure, Mbengashe said “it arose as a result of weaknesses in line management and internal control unit”.
“In certain instances, documentation to prove that expenditure was not irregular could not be provided to the AG on time,” he said.
Mbengashe said the bulk of fruitless and wasteful expenditure “related to medico-legal claims instituted against his department”.
“These claims had significantly increased over the last three years and relate to cases that date back to about five to 10 years,” he revealed.
He spoke about “weaknesses” in procurement and expenditure control systems, weaknesses in supply chain processes, non-availability of an effective records management system and lack of communication within his department’s structures.
This, however, did not sit well with committee members, with some saying his choice of words was “embarrassing” and an admission that “all was not well” in his department.
ANC MPL Nomawethu Gqiba said some of Mbengashe’s responses were “too casual” and showed that the department “may collapse one day”.
She said some officials were not committed to improving audit findings and that Mbengashe seemed to be “scared” to take action against them.
EFF MPL Siyabulela Peter said some of Mbengashe’s answers were “embarrassing and unacceptable”.
“We only want thoughtful answers.
“What you are giving us is a waste of time,” Peter said.
Most of his colleagues agreed.
On education, Mhlathi revealed he had received a call from the MEC on Monday informing him that a report with departmental responses submitted to the legislature a few days ago was to be amended.
An amended report was then submitted by the department just hours before it was to be scrutinised.
However, it had not been forwarded to the AG for scrutiny before it went to Scopa, thus drawing the ire of committee members.
They decided to kick the department out of the meeting and reschedule for another date, saying it would be suicidal to discuss a report that came in only hours earlier.
Makupula said he decided to amend the report as he was not satisfied with some of the responses. “The issue was the quality of the submission, so I said rather than we do malicious compliance and submit for the sake of submitting, I decided to do a quality check and pay the price for late submission. The new report is the one I am comfortable with,” Makupula said.
Not long ago provincial administration DG Marion Mbina-Mthembu told the legislature the education department was in such a mess it needed to be dissolved and started afresh. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
Scopa raps big spenders
After qualified audits from the auditor-general (AG) on their 2014-15 financial year records, Bhisho legislature’s standing committee on public accounts (Scopa) had highlighted their violations of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), treasury regulations and supply chain management provisions.
Yesterday the two departments were meant to provide their responses to Scopa on the negative findings.
However the education delegation, led by MEC Mandla Makupula, was unceremoniously kicked out before discussions even started. This is the second time in two years education has been rejected at a Scopa hearing.
Earlier, health was grilled on its irregular expenditure of more than R11-million in the year under review and R235-million “relating to prior years”.
The delegation was also quizzed about fruitless, wasteful and unauthorised expenditure, and disciplinary measures for those involved.
The Scopa committee was led by UDM MPL Max Mhlathi.
The department, led by Dr Thobile Mbengashe, was also asked to account for poor control measures and inconsistent implementation of policies.
In explaining the irregular expenditure, Mbengashe said “it arose as a result of weaknesses in line management and internal control unit”.
“In certain instances, documentation to prove that expenditure was not irregular could not be provided to the AG on time,” he said.
Mbengashe said the bulk of fruitless and wasteful expenditure “related to medico-legal claims instituted against his department”.
“These claims had significantly increased over the last three years and relate to cases that date back to about five to 10 years,” he revealed.
He spoke about “weaknesses” in procurement and expenditure control systems, weaknesses in supply chain processes, non-availability of an effective records management system and lack of communication within his department’s structures.
This, however, did not sit well with committee members, with some saying his choice of words was “embarrassing” and an admission that “all was not well” in his department.
ANC MPL Nomawethu Gqiba said some of Mbengashe’s responses were “too casual” and showed that the department “may collapse one day”.
She said some officials were not committed to improving audit findings and that Mbengashe seemed to be “scared” to take action against them.
EFF MPL Siyabulela Peter said some of Mbengashe’s answers were “embarrassing and unacceptable”.
“We only want thoughtful answers.
“What you are giving us is a waste of time,” Peter said.
Most of his colleagues agreed.
On education, Mhlathi revealed he had received a call from the MEC on Monday informing him that a report with departmental responses submitted to the legislature a few days ago was to be amended.
An amended report was then submitted by the department just hours before it was to be scrutinised.
However, it had not been forwarded to the AG for scrutiny before it went to Scopa, thus drawing the ire of committee members.
They decided to kick the department out of the meeting and reschedule for another date, saying it would be suicidal to discuss a report that came in only hours earlier.
Makupula said he decided to amend the report as he was not satisfied with some of the responses. “The issue was the quality of the submission, so I said rather than we do malicious compliance and submit for the sake of submitting, I decided to do a quality check and pay the price for late submission. The new report is the one I am comfortable with,” Makupula said.
Not long ago provincial administration DG Marion Mbina-Mthembu told the legislature the education department was in such a mess it needed to be dissolved and started afresh. — asandan@dispatch.co.za
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