Municipality celebrates a qualified audit report

A local municipality in South Africa's Gauteng province had apparently decided to celebrate the fact that it had been issued with a qualified audit by ordering a batch of t-shirts be made to mark the event.

This disconcerting yet amusing anecdote was shared with the Gauteng Provincial Legislature on Friday by Premier Nomvula Mokonyane during the delivery of her political report.

The municipality, which Mokonyane would not name, had apparently been confused because "in English 'qualified' means you have passed."

Municipalities across South Africa repeatedly come under fire from the Auditor General for poor financial management.

A qualified audit is generally issued where the auditor general finds deviations from generally accepted accounting principles in the annual financials of the municipality.

Although preferable to an adverse report or a disclaimer, it is the ambition of provincial and national government to ensure that municipalities strive towards achieving unqualified or clean audit findings.

The municipality had apparently sent Mokonyane one of the shirts to which she responded "I can't wear this t-shirt; it can't even be used as pyjamas.

"I have kept it as a souvenir," she added.