Kandjeke audits his office, gets an unqualified opinion

BY ERASMUS SHALIHAXWE

AUDITOR-General Junius Kandjeke said his office did not have an audit committee in 2022 because people do not want to work without benefits.

An audit committee oversees financial statements and reporting. It comprises outside board members and those well-versed in finance or accounting to produce honest and accurate reports.

Audit committee members sign off on the company’s books and take responsibility for any misreporting.

The audit committee works closely with auditors to ensure that financial books are correct and that no conflicts of interest exist between auditors or any outside consulting firms employed by the company.

Kandjeke said the absence of an audit committee might result in strategic and operational risks not being detected and mitigated.

He also said control weakness, management override on controls, and misstatements in the financial statements might not be timely identified and corrected.

“It is recommended that the accounting officer should ensure that the office establishes and implements an audit committee for good governance,” said Kandjeke in the Auditor-General’s office report for the financial year ended 31 March 2022.

Kandjeke said the accounting officer indicated that some candidates are unwilling to serve due to non-payment of sitting allowances.

Kandjeke said the office assured him that an audit committee would be appointed in the new financial year.

The report also said the Office of the Auditor-General operated without an approved IT (information technology) disaster recovery plan (DRP) for the year under review.

An IT recovery plan ensures that an organisation starts working and can recover electronic data and functions after an unexpected mishap.

Such a plan would involve analysing business processes and continuity needs by generating a detailed business impact plan, analysing risk, and establishing recovery objectives.

“The accounting officer indicated that the IT disaster recovery plan is 80 percent complete and will be finalised during the next financial year,” said Kandjeke.

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