Nonprofit organisations (NPOs) should account on how they spent. In South Africa, NPOs are required to submit audited financial statements to the Department of Social Development’s NPO Directorate as required by the NPO Act. In addition, audited financial statements provide an opportunity for all stakeholders to get a clear picture of how funds were spent.
In this week’s edition of NGO Pulse, Soraya Joonas, finance director at Inyathelo: The South African Institute for Advancement, writes that before the auditing, it is advisable to set out a calendar schedule with your auditors regarding the plan and document due dates for review. Joonas advises NPOs not be alarmed that their auditors will have several questions throughout the process as they work through the documentation. She warns that as part of the audit, external auditors will conduct a fraud and error interview with the finance director and other relevant management and staff members to assess the organisation in terms of adherence to company policies and procedure and if this could compromise financial information, integrity and decision making in any way.
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The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) continues to be in the news for wrong reasons. The public broadcaster is being criticised for not taking action against controversial chief operating officer, Hlaudi Motsoeneng, after the Public Protector found that he lied about his matric certificate. Despite this, Communications Minister, Faith Muthambi, appointed Motsoeneng permanently.
In another article, The Conversation Africa’s politics and society editor, Thabo Leshilo, asks Kate Skinner, media activist and academic, if the SABC, which is regulated by the Broadcasting Act, can be saved. Skinner states that the Act, which sets out specific requirements for broadcasting, and in particular, the SABC as South Africa’s public broadcaster, introduced the charter that emphasises the principles that should underpin the workings of the SABC including its independence and the right to freedom of expression. Skinner is of the view that Motsoeneng is able to do what he does because the SABC’s oversight structures – Parliament, the ministry, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa and the SABC board - are ‘incredibly’ weak. She maintains: “In the long-term, however, the Broadcasting Act must be repealed. We need new legislation that better protects the independence of the SABC and ensures more public funding.”
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Lastly, Corruption Watch and the Democratic Governance and Rights Unit have submitted its list of vetted candidates to the parliamentary ad hoc committee responsible for overseeing the selection of the next public protector. The two organisations argue that the objective of this vetting exercise is to determine whether or not the 62 nominated candidates meet the minimum statutory requirements for the position of public protector, as stipulated in the Public Protector Act, by examining the candidate’s work experience and educational qualifications as stated in the candidates’ CVs.
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