SOUTH AFRICA: Audit For Ugu South Coast Tourism

Good news for the local tourism industry is that the Auditor-General has given Ugu South Coast Tourism a ‘clean’ audit for the third year in succession.

Commenting on this laudable achievement for the 2015/ 2016 financial year, Tourism chairperson Joy Crutchfield said the Auditor-General’s audit scope in the public sector was much broader than for the private sector.

“Besides the audit of financial statements, it also covers reporting of performance against predetermined objectives as well as compliance with laws and regulations. Therefore, in the South African public sector context, an entity needs an unqualified audit opinion in all the areas mentioned above in order to obtain a ‘clean’ audit,” she explained.

To sustain this ultimate level of good governance and compliance year after year was no easy task, she said, extending her congratulations to chief executive Justin Mackrory and his team. She also thanked the board, the audit committee and colleagues within Tourism’s partner municipalities whose invaluable input had allowed Tourism to meet the exacting criteria required by the Auditor-General.

Mackrory said the paper trail and attention to detail was a time-consuming and often frustrating aspect of the overall operation, as in many instances, Tourism consistently needed to follow up with outside parties to ensure compliance.

“That said, I really need to commend my staff, in particular our general manager of human resources and finance, Deborah Ludick, and finance and human resources officer, Sheroma Bansee, for their tireless commitment to managing the processes,” he said.

Crutchfield described the clean audit for three successive years as a “fantastic achievement” and said the Ugu South Coast Tourism Board could not be prouder.