Commitment to 'clean governance' sees national Transport department achieve audit milestone
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has welcomed the clean audit the national Transport Department received from the Auditor-General South Africa (AGSA).
Image: GCIS
The Department of Transport has received a clean audit from the Auditor-General South Africa (AGSA) for the 2024/25 financial year, the first in the department’s 31-year history.
Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy and Deputy Minister Mkhuleko Hlengwa welcomed the outcome and said it marked a significant shift towards sound governance.
“This is a step in the right direction towards a fully accountable and clean administration,” they said in a joint statement issued on Sunday.
According to the AGSA’s report, the department submitted its Annual Financial Statements (AFS) on time and without any material misstatements.
Furthermore, the Auditor-General did not find any significant deficiencies in the department’s financial management processes and noted that there were no findings on the completeness of the performance indicators used for planning and reporting.
Creecy and Hlengwa attributed the result to “the department’s commitment to clean governance and accountability,” adding that the department’s leadership had taken internal assurance processes seriously.
They emphasised that management had ensured that “assurance providers are appropriately resourced and capacitated,” and had responded positively to audit recommendations by addressing concerns “timeously, through effective audit action plans.”
The department also credited its proactive engagement with the Auditor-General’s office, noting that preparing for the audit process in advance had ensured “smooth seamless execution.”
The ministers said the clean audit outcome was a result of “a combined effort and assurance practice from all functions within the department, from Management efforts to Risk Management, Internal Audit, and oversight Committees – especially the Audit Committee.”
They also acknowledged the Transport Portfolio Committee in Parliament, which they said had played a key oversight role. “The role of the Transport Portfolio Committee ensured that the Department is accountable to Parliament,” the statement read.
The AGSA’s clean audit opinion is based on an assessment of financial statements, internal controls, and performance information, and is seen as a benchmark of good governance in the public sector.
The Department of Transport’s clean audit follows years of public concern over irregular expenditure and audit disclaimers in various state entities, with Creecy and Hlengwa positioning the result as evidence of institutional reform within the department.