Bright Ntuli
The Department of Correctional Services has received a worse audit opinion for the 2025/2026 financial year.
This follows three consecutive years of unqualified audit opinions with findings.
Fruitless and wasteful expenditure increased from R947 000 in 2024/2025 to R12,6 millionrand in 2025/2026.
This includes R6,4-million-rand in court judgments against the department because it failed to attend court cases and six-million-rand in interest for late municipal payments.
Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Correctional Services chairperson, Kgomotso Ramolobeng says the department must not treat ongoing financial mismanagement as normal.
“The department is required to submit a report to the committee on how this disclaimer will be prevented in future.”
She continued,”The report should include amongst others control measures to identify and and detect issues that might contribute to disclaimer and corrective measures to address the findings.”
