Pretoria -The Home Affairs department has made significant strides towards its target of achieving an unqualified audit by 2011, says its Director General Mkhuseli Apleni.
Briefing the media on Thursday, Apleni said the department had received one qualification from the Auditor General on capital asset management this year.
This is in comparison to four qualifications received during the 2008/09 financial year.
The department has moved from a disclaimer in 2007 to a single qualification this year, which Apleni said would be resolved this year.
"The Auditor General said he was unable to verify the existence, completeness and accurate valuation of the capital assets of the department stated at R1.6 billion," said Apleni.
There were two issues that did not contribute to the qualification but were disclosed in the accounting officer's report and annual report.
This was the R321.640 million, which was incurred due to non compliance with various laws and regulations. The department is in discussions with relevant stakeholders to resolve the matter.
It also has various pending claims amounting to R6.822 billion, which according to Apleni, processes were in place to bring matters to finality.
Matters relating to revenue, payables and leases had been resolved, he said.
He attributed the improvement in the department's performance to the various improved measures of procurement the department had undertaken.
"Measures implemented last year had allowed the department to move at speed towards achieving this goal," he said, including the intensified appointment of state accountants and financial managers in its provincial operations.
"There has been a significant improvement in the leadership structures within the department, appointment of key staff in leadership positions," the DG said.
To ensure that the department keeps the standard, Apleni said the department would intensify its programme of room bar-coding, office numbering, identifying lease assets and verifying assets.
A further indicative, together with the National Treasury, has been established to implement extensive support service plan.
The department would also appoint programme and responsibility managers, provincial managers and state accountants in all nine provinces in order to enhance governance.
