Each of the 14 Western Cape Government’s (WCG) provincial departments and its 11 entities achieved the best audit outcomes in five years for the 2022/23 financial year.
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Audit outcomes are classified into several categories by the Auditor-General (AG). This includes unqualified, qualified, adverse and disclaimer. The best possible outcome is an unqualified audit without findings (in other words, a clean audit), while unqualified with findings is also classified as desirable.
This means that all of the Western Cape provincial departments and all 11 entities received a clean audit – the best outcome in five years.
‘We do not action good governance for the sake of it. We do it because this is how we improve our service delivery. These audit outcomes are the tangible result of the WCG’s drive for clean governance because it [is] the bedrock on which the service delivery needs of our residents rest,’ says Western Cape Premier Alan Winde.
‘These outcomes are clear and indisputable evidence that endorse our culture of ethical governing. It reflects this Government’s continued commitment to financial discipline and good governance so that we can stretch every available Rand to really deliver for the people of the province,’ says Mireille Wenger, provincial minister of finance and economic opportunities.
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‘By using funds in a responsible, transparent manner we demonstrate our commitment to our citizens. These results also show that we are a partner that you can do business with and [this] is one of the reasons the WCG has had great success in the number of local, national [and] international partnerships and funding agreements that we have and are forging. Our partners and investors have confidence that money will be spent where it is meant to be spent. Ultimately people want to do business in the Western Cape because our provincial government works in the best interests of residents.’
‘While these results are sadly unprecedented in South Africa, it does show that, with the appropriate financial systems in place and with a relentless focus on ensuring accountability and transparency, we can work together, account properly for every cent, and ultimately make sure public money is spent for the maximum benefit of the residents we serve.’
The WCG highlighted several areas which showed distinctive improvements, such as crime, education, wellbeing and employment.
Here are the statistics:
- Crime: The incidence of crime in robbery at residential premises stood at -17.3% in the fourth quarter of 2022/23. Sexual offences stood at -2.4% and murder was -12.1% lower than the average incidence of crimes recorded between the fourth quarter of 2018/19 and the fourth quarter of 2022/23.
- Education: In 2022, Western Cape systemic testing results showed positive gains, with improvements made in the Foundation Phase and advances in the other grades. About 55% of matrics achieved a bachelor’s pass, an improvement from 40.2%.
- Wellbeing: The number of public-employed doctors per 100 000 people increased from 43.4 in 2013/14 to 45.9 in 2022/23. The Department of Health and Wellness has also embraced a community-oriented primary care (COPC) framework, which focuses on outreach programmes and efficient medicine delivery. These services include the home delivery of chronic medication and telehealth care which reduced healthcare facility visits.
- Employment: Between the second quarter of 2022 and the second quarter of 2023, about 368 000 jobs were created in the Western Cape, representing a 15.7% increase in employed people year-on-year.
‘Good governance also signals to investors and to businesses that they can trust the WCG, and that their businesses are in good hands in this province. We are on a mission to attract more investment and stimulate business start-ups and expansion. This is at the heart of our economic action plan, Growth for Jobs, which aims to enable breakout economic growth that creates many more jobs in the province and South Africa,’ says Wenger.
Here are the full results of the audit:
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Also read:
Cape Town receives a clean audit for the 2021/22 financial year
Picture: Leo Moko / Unsplash