A clean audit from the Auditor-General indicates that a municipality has produced credible, transparent financial statements and performance reports, and has complied with key legislation. It also talks to desired and entrenched leadership traits of accountability, oversight which significantly reduces the chances of mismanagement.
A clean audit reflects leadership strength, but it stretches throughout a municipality and suggests that management and officials are geared to deliver what the municipality stands for. Without taking their eye off the ball, the depth and capacity of their employees – including a culture of continuous growth and development – allows the leadership to point their eyes and minds to the future, tackling matters such as:
- Rare talent attraction
- Smart City enablement and adoption
- Next generation water security
- Investment attraction
- Alternative funding sources and mechanisms
- Stimulating the local economy
- Partnerships with the private sector
In many respects, a municipality’s leadership will have the space to lift their heads, and address the future with the same energy, determination and attention to detail accorded to earning clean audits.
