SANParks receives second consecutive clean audit

The current CEO, Dr David Mabunda, has had the lion's share with nine unqualified reports and two clean audits. To achieve a clean audit means the organisation presented fairly in all material aspects.

Corne Myburgh, business executive at the Auditor General's office, congratulated the SANParks CEO and his team. "This is the second time we are recognising your organisation for this great achievement, and we would like to encourage you and the team to build on the current controls, and to keep up the culture of compliance and governance."

Controls are in place

The SANParks CEO, Dr David Mabunda, responded by giving a promise that controls that are in place will be maintained and improved upon where necessary. "Twenty years ago, this organisation's budget was at R164 million and today we have a budget of R1.2 billion, that comes with a lot of responsibility. We are cognisant of the fact that we are custodians of the country's natural heritage and we need to be smarter in carrying out our mandate with the small resources we have at hand.

"Our country has a lot of other pressing challenges that require resources like the provision of clean drinking water, primary health services and many other important issues. We are committed to ensuring that we do much with the little we have. Money is a finite product and there is not much to go around especially when it comes to conservation. We are committed to raising a large part of our budgetary needs and continue to be frugal and strict when it comes to finances," Mabunda said.

The Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Edna Molewa, also extended her congratulations to SANParks. "We are very proud of these achievements by SANParks. The diligence, with which SANParks looks after its finances, should be a lesson and an example to other institutions."