DA slams Free State govt for R1.48 billion in excessive spending following AG’s audit findings

By Akani Nkuna

The DA has slammed provincial departments in the Free State for excessive government spending, raising serious concerns about fiscal responsibility and governance.

This comes after the Auditor General briefed the Portfolio Committee on Public Accounts and Finance in the Free State Legislature on the audit outcomes of the provincial departments and entities for the year ending 31 March 2024.

The auditor-general’s report revealed some concerning findings, where seven provincial departments and entities received qualified opinions with findings, while nine others got unqualified findings.

The provincial treasury and the provincial legislature were the only entities that achieved a clean audit.

Only 11% of provincial departments and entities achieved audits, while the 89% demonstrated shortcomings in financial statement quality, performance reporting, performance monitoring, or legislative compliance.

DA spokesperson for Public Account in the Free State, Werner Pretorius, said on Wednesday that the party is highly concerned about the drastic increase in fruitless