Note to Editors: Please note Tim Brauteseth, MPL sound bite in English
The Democratic Alliance (DA) – as a constructive partner within KwaZulu-Natal’s (KZN) Government of Provincial Unity (GPU), is deeply alarmed by the Auditor-General of South Africa’s (AGSA) 2024/25 audit outcomes, which reveal a sharp decline in governance, financial management and service delivery across several provincial departments.
While the DA remains committed to the principles of cooperative governance and the success of the GPU, we will not compromise on accountability. The people of our province deserve a government that is transparent, responsible, and focused on delivering quality services.
The AGSA report highlights:
• A regression in audit outcomes, with only six departments receiving clean audits, down from nine in the previous year
• R2.34 billion in irregular expenditure by the Department of Health, with a further R2.3 billion under assessment
• R521 million in unauthorised expenditure by the Department of Education, which also failed to resolve a R1.2 billion irregular nutrition contract, leaving thousands of learners unfed
• R827 million in infrastructure cost overruns, with all 16 audited projects delayed – some by over a decade
• R64.9 million in procurement contracts awarded to suppliers linked to government employees and their families.
• A collapse in IT governance, including 152 659 learner records without ID numbers and 4 617 deceased learners still listed on the system
• Service delivery failures across key departments, despite full budget expenditure and;
• R15 billion in legal claims against the state and R9 billion in unpaid accruals, reflecting poor financial controls.
The DA welcomes SCOPA’s decision to summon these eight departments to appear before the committee this month. These hearings must result in real accountability and consequence management – not empty rhetoric.
The DA remains committed to playing a proactive role within KZN’s GPU, but we will not tolerate a culture of impunity. We will demand answers, enforce compliance, and ensure that public funds are used to uplift communities and restore dignity to the people of KZN.