IEC receives clean bill of health from Auditor-General

Commission Chairperson Glen Mashinini and Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo led a delegation that tabled the report which covers the 2020/21 financial year before the portfolio committee.

The Electoral Commission (IEC) has received a clean bill of health from the Auditor-General.

The clean audit opinion issued by the Auditor-General is one of the highlights contained in the Electoral Commission’s annual report, which was presented before the National Assembly’s Portfolio Committee on Home Affairs, on Tuesday.

Commission Chairperson Glen Mashinini and Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo led a delegation that tabled the report which covers the 2020/21 financial year before the portfolio committee.

Both Mashinini and Mamabolo expressed pride at the achievement of the Commission’s finance team led by Chief Finance Officer Dawn Mbatha, which achieved the first clean audit in five years.

“I am immensely proud of this report for the reason that the Auditor-General South Africa (AGSA) issued us with a clean audit opinion.

“Our institution is ever committed to the highest levels of financial probity. This financial year was like no other in that the Coronavirus pandemic continued to wreak health and economic havoc in South Africa and around the world.

“Members of staff of the Electoral Commission were either infected or affected by the pandemic in one way or another,” Mamabolo said.

Meanwhile, Mashinini told Members of Parliament that the Commission takes pride in having delivered a succession of credible, free, fair and successful elections in the past 27 years.

“In delivering these elections, the Electoral Commission has met its Constitutional obligations. Important in any election is transparency, accountability and ethical conduct by all involved in this crucial exercise of democracy. Accountability and transparency are the main reasons we are here. 

“It is important to us that the Electoral Commission, established in terms of Section 181 of the Constitution, accounts on a regular basis to Parliament,” said Mashinini.

“In addition to appearing before this committee on a regular basis, our books are audited, on an annual basis, by the Auditor-General and we have, we are proud to disclose, received favourable and positive audit outcomes,” he said.

(With Inputs from South African Government Press Release)