Central SA
Free State Destea commits to maintain clean audit─── ZENANDE MPAME 12:35 Tue, 12 Aug 2025
The latest clean audit of Destea in the Free State is the result of a deliberate strategy adopted several years ago, aimed at achieving and maintaining sound financial management.
“We are excited about the clean audit, because the Free State is known as one province that doesn’t manage finances appropriately,” said Free State economic development, small business development, tourism, and environmental affairs MEC Ketso Makume.
The Free State Destea received the clean audit report from the Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA) for the 2024/25 financial year.
The strategy to receive a clean audit focused on the implementation of effective internal controls, improving the quality of infrastructure delivery, and consistently acting on AGSA recommendations and directives, said Makume.
“The department has changed the narrative, and people are celebrating this clean audit, particularly because it is a clean audit from the finance department, which we have been maintaining, and also the Destea one.
“As the MEC, I am grateful to everyone from the cleaner to the head of department, because each one of us has contributed to the outcomes of the clean audit,” he said.
In the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years, the department achieved unqualified audit opinions with findings. For the 2024/25 period, Destea advanced to an unqualified audit opinion with no findings, commonly referred to as a clean audit.
The clean audit outcome means that Destea’s 2024/25 audited annual financial statements were free from material misstatements, and no instances of irregular, fruitless, or wasteful expenditure were reported.
‘The biggest challenge now is maintaining this progress’
The outcome also confirms that the reported performance is supported by valid, reliable, and complete performance evidence.
“As a department, we have implemented small systems and eliminated those that previously hindered us from receiving a clean audit, so we are really excited,” said Makume. “The biggest challenge now is maintaining this progress, and that is where we anticipate serious struggles among us.”
He said he’s told his team they should not accept unlawful instructions from heads, as they often lead to questionable, adverse audit reports.
The MEC emphasised that the department will continue to strengthen support to partnering entities to make sure that they also get better audit opinions.
