By Johnathan Paoli
Gauteng Finance MEC Lebogang Maile has praised the province’s financial governance after 22 provincial departments and entities achieved clean audits during the 2024/25 financial year.
Maile, speaking at a media briefing in Bramley on the 2024/25 audit outcomes, said the results showed growing accountability in government but warned that irregular spending and weak controls remain a serious concern.
“Improvement in financial management in the public sector leads to better service delivery, because funds are used for what they are intended for,” Maile said.
“Our people expect us to build an accountable and clean government that can serve them better. This is what we are focused on doing. We are a responsive people-centred government that is transparent and, on the ground, to improve services to the people.”
According to the audit results, eight departments achieved clean audits.
These include the Office of the Premier, Provincial Legislature, Provincial Treasury, Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA), e-Government, Economic Development, Community Safety, and Roads and Transport.
Maile highlighted that four of these, namely the Office of the Premier, Provincial Treasury, Provincial Legislature and COGTA, have now sustained clean audits for at least five consecutive years.
Among the province’s entities, 14 out of 19 secured clean audits, including the Gautrain, Gauteng Growth and Development Agency, Gauteng Liquor Board, Cradle of Humankind, Dinokeng, and Gauteng Enterprise Propeller.
While progress was acknowledged, Maile cautioned that regression in some departments was worrying.
The Education department lost its clean audit, moving to an unqualified opinion with findings, while Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation slipped further to a qualified opinion.
The Health department, meanwhile, emerged as the poorest performer, recording non-compliance across all areas due to ineffective internal controls.
On the entities side, G-Fleet Management, the Innovation Hub, and Gauteng Tourism Authority regressed to unqualified audits, while the Housing Fund recorded a disclaimer after falling from an adverse opinion the previous year.
“These regressions indicate that some institutions have not acted decisively enough to address the Auditor-General’s recommendations. This is why consequence management will be enforced,” Maile said.
One of the briefing’s strongest warnings concerned irregular expenditure.
The province recorded R4.2 billion in new irregular expenditure during the 2024/25 financial year, largely linked to procurement and supply chain management non-compliance.
Maile admitted that consequence management remained weak in half of the affected departments, with many failing to implement recommendations from investigations.
The MEC provided an update on supplier payments, emphasising the province’s commitment to meeting its 30-day payment requirement.
Out of 192,718 invoices amounting to R48.9 billion processed in the past financial year, 97% were settled on time.
Departments such as the Office of the Premier, Roads and Transport, Community Safety, Economic Development, e-Government, and COGTA paid all invoices within 30 days.
However, Agriculture (71.95%) and Health (37%) underperformed significantly.
Looking ahead, Maile announced a series of interventions to drive clean governance.
These include monthly reviews of Public Finance Management Act Section 40 disclosure notes; alignment of audit action plans with Auditor-General findings; pre-audit reviews of annual financial statements; training for officials in areas of identified weakness; and full utilisation of SAP’s procure-to-pay and asset management systems.
The 2024/25 audit outcomes, Maile said, were both a milestone and a reminder of the work that remains to entrench transparency, accountability, and clean governance in the province.
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