Women, Youth and Disability Department Earns Second Clean Audit in a Row

The result was an unqualified audit opinion with no material findings, confirming that the department’s financial management practices are sound and credible.

The Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities has achieved a clean audit from the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) for the second consecutive year, marking a major milestone in the government’s broader efforts to entrench good governance, financial accountability, and transparency across public institutions.

A clean audit opinion is the highest recognition an institution can receive from the AGSA. It means that a department’s financial statements are free from material misstatements, comply fully with legislation, and demonstrate strong internal controls and accountability mechanisms.

Leadership Commends Achievement

Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga and Deputy Minister Mmapaseka Steve Letsike welcomed the outcome, describing it as a reflection of the department’s commitment to ethical governance and a step towards building a capable and developmental state.

“The achievement reflects consistent dedication to accountability and service delivery,” Chikunga and Letsike said in a joint statement, while commending staff and leadership for their disciplined financial management.

Programmes Audited

The Auditor-General’s engagement report confirmed that the following core programmes were assessed in the 2023/24 financial year, which ended on 31 March 2024:

• Advocacy and mainstreaming for the rights of women

• Monitoring and evaluation of gender, youth, and disability inclusion

• Research and coordination of cross-cutting policies and initiatives

• Rights of youth, with a focus on economic participation and empowerment

The AG noted that the department had improved its audit approach, ensuring that irregular, fruitless, and wasteful expenditures were subjected to thorough verification processes, even if excluded from the final financial statements. This, it said, enhanced transparency and helped validate the integrity of reported figures.

Factors Behind the Clean Audit

According to the Auditor-General, the clean audit was based on key improvements in:

• Timely submission of financial statements within prescribed deadlines

• Strengthened internal controls to prevent irregular expenditure

• Effective monitoring and evaluation systems ensuring compliance with legislation

• Ethical governance practices aligned with public sector accountability standards

The result was an unqualified audit opinion with no material findings, confirming that the department’s financial management practices are sound and credible.

Linking Governance to Service Delivery

While celebrating the clean audit outcome, the department acknowledged that financial discipline alone does not guarantee effective service delivery. Minister Chikunga stressed that the focus remains on ensuring that the rights and needs of women, youth, and persons with disabilities are effectively mainstreamed in government programmes and private-sector initiatives.

“Achieving clean audits is a foundation for stronger governance, but our real success lies in making sure that vulnerable groups benefit from inclusive development,” she said.

Broader Government Context

The achievement comes at a time when government departments are under mounting public pressure to demonstrate both clean governance and impact-driven service delivery. Clean audits are seen as a critical building block towards restoring public trust in state institutions, reducing wasteful expenditure, and ensuring that scarce resources are directed to priority programmes.

For the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, the clean audit highlights a trajectory of improvement and positions it as a model of financial accountability in the public sector.

Looking Ahead

The department has pledged to continue refining its financial management systems while working closely with stakeholders to deliver on its mandate. This includes advancing gender equality, youth empowerment, and disability inclusion in line with South Africa’s constitutional values and development priorities.

As the department celebrates its second consecutive clean audit, it also recommitted to ensuring that governance excellence translates into tangible progress for the communities it serves.