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The Ad Hoc Committee on the appointment of the Auditor General has finalised interviewing candidates for the position of the new Auditor General.
The candidates were quizzed about how they are going to tackle rampant corruption, ensure quality reports as well as main the independence of the office.
Six candidates were interviewed for the position. They were: Zakariya Hoosain, Moses Gasela, Michael Sass, Shabeer Khan, the current deputy auditor Tsakane Maluleke and Edmond Shoko-Lekhuleni.
The first candidate to be interviewed was Hoosain, and he told the committee that the office of the AG needs to keep up with the times as those who are corrupt become more sophisticated.
Hoosain says, “Times have changed, those who are corrupt have become more sophisticated and if the Ad hoc is to executive mandate to restore public trust, it needs to be able to not only keep up with the times but needs to actually stay ahead and in order to ensure that it understands trends.”
In the video below, the process of finding a replacement for the AG starts in earnest:
Candidates were also questioned about their conduct at previous places of employment.
Michael Sass denied any wrongdoing, saying if he believed that he was guilty of any transgression, he would not have applied for the position.
“If that is something that will reflect badly on the office of the AG, I will withdraw my application because the office of the AG must be beyond reproach and if the members feel that the action that has been taken has not been sufficient, then I will be Ok with withdrawing my application because it must protect the AG. I would not have been here if I believe I was guilty.”
Deputy Auditor, Tsakane Maluleke also had to account for her decisions at the office. She’s told the committee that she is passionate about transformation and has realised that some people don’t take kindly to it.
“Transformation is a contested space. As you deal with the transformation, it’s not always obvious to people why it is important. Not because they don’t get it, but because they sit in the corner and they are making a score sheet.”
In the video below, municipalities lose R32 billion to fraud and corruption in 2018/2019:
‘Forecast audits’
Edmond Shoko-Lekhuleni told the committee that going forward, the way audits are done needs to change. He suggested that there must be forecast audits, that will be able to estimate the risk going forward.
“If South Africa is going to move forward from where we are right now, we need to change how we are doing things. Yes, it is fabulous the way we are doing now but it is not perfect, there is room for it to change and we owe it to our people and that is where my passion lies, the people of South Africa.”
The committee is expected to submit its report on the matter to the National Assembly by the end of the month.
In the video below, Ad Hoc Committee on the appointment of the AG:
