Response to Beeld article

11 May 2011

An article published in the Beeld newspaper today, 11 May 2011, makes a number of inaccurate statements, amongst which is that Cabinet has sent back a report purported to be a National Treasury report dealing with municipalities for “repackaging”.

The facts of the matter are as follows:

Cabinet, as part of its routine business of performance monitoring and evaluation, from time to time receives reports on the performance of government across all three spheres, i.e. national, provincial and local. Some of the reports are compiled by government departments and entities. Other reports, like the one referred to in the article, are compiled by Chapter 9 institutions such as the Office of the Auditor-General. These reports are meant to give Cabinet updates on the state of service delivery and introduce necessary interventions where required.

The purported National Treasury report referred to in the article was in fact presented to Cabinet in mid-March 2011 by the Auditor-General and not the National Treasury as claimed in the media report. Contrary to the Beeld article, there was no uproar of any sort when it was presented; nor was there any instruction to the National Treasury or the Auditor-General for that matter to “repackage” the report.

The assertion that Cabinet ordered the National Treasury to “repackage” the report is not only untrue but also an affront to the integrity and ethical conduct of Cabinet, and is thus dismissed with the contempt it deserves. This assertion also betrays a fatal lack of understanding of how institutions such as the Office of Auditor-General operate. Cabinet respects the independence of Chapter 9 institutions and will not interfere as they carry out their constitutional responsibilities and obligations.

It is only after the Auditor-General has made the report public that Cabinet will decide whether or not to comment on its findings and/or contents.

Once again we call upon media to verify their facts as a matter of course so that the public is not misled.

Enquiries:
Mr Jimmy Manyi, Cabinet Spokesperson
GCIS CEO and Cabinet Spokesperson
Cell: 082 3793 454

Issued by: Government Communications (GCIS)