Auditor General Tsakani Maluleke Flags Persistent Financial Non-Compliance Across South Africa’s Largest Budgetary Departments

Tsakani Maluleke warns that 80% of the government budget is managed by departments with poor financial records. See the 2024/25 audit results.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 26, 2026, 6:11 AM EDT

Source: The information in this article was sourced from EWN

Fiscal Mismanagement Within High-Impact Government Portfolios

The Auditor General of South Africa, Tsakani Maluleke, has issued a stark warning regarding the financial health of the nation’s most well-funded government departments. In her presentation of the 2024/25 national and provincial audit outcomes, Maluleke noted that the entities tasked with the largest budgets are disproportionately likely to receive qualified audit outcomes. This trend suggests that the departments responsible for the most significant portion of public spending are failing to meet basic standards of fiscal accountability. According to the report, the lack of credible financial statements in these sectors directly hampers the government’s ability to track and optimize public resources.

Widespread Non-Compliance and the Absence of Consequences

A central theme of the Auditor General’s findings is the persistent disregard for public finance management legislation across various tiers of government. Maluleke highlighted that non-compliance remains widespread and, more concerningly, largely goes without consequence for the officials involved. This environment of limited accountability has allowed poor financial practices to become entrenched in departmental cultures. The report indicates that without a rigorous system of sanctions and rewards, the legislative frameworks designed to protect public funds will continue to be bypassed by administrative leadership.

Critical Service Delivery Stalled by Financial Credibility Gaps

The audit outcomes specifically flagged departments that are vital to the country’s social fabric, including the Department of Social Development. These entities, which manage essential services for the most vulnerable citizens, are among those struggling to achieve clean audits. Maluleke explained that a qualified audit opinion signifies that the financial statements provided by these departments are not credible. When the data used to manage these departments is flawed, the efficiency of service delivery is inevitably compromised, leading to broader socio-economic repercussions for the general population.