The public finances are governed by legislative prescripts and regulatory frameworks that stipulate the conditions including the roles and responsibilities of all relevant stakeholders. It is therefore important that the accounting officers of organs of state and stakeholders ensure that funds are utilised in accordance with the applicable regulatory frameworks. For the response and recovery measures of the recent flooding, government through relevant organs of state has strengthened the monitoring systems through the following key measures:
Prevention – testing the implementation of the preventative controls and the remaining risks will be reported to the accounting officer/authority,
Detection - high-risk transactions will be subjected to an audit and key observations reported to the accounting officer/authority; and
Reporting on work done by the AGSA, the outcome thereof and the responses by accounting officers and authorities to any weaknesses identified are reported in a special report. The audits are meant to provide independent assurance on whether public funds have been appropriately accounted for and were used for its intended purpose.