Gezi forced to table audit reports as Mthuli Ncube sleeps on duty

Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Tsitsi Gezi was left with choice but to table 2021 audit reports in the House following the failure to do so by Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube.

According to the Audit Office Act Section 12 (1) reports shall be laid by the Minister or appropriate Minister, as the case may be, before the House of Assembly on one of the seven days on which the House of Assembly sits next after he or she has received such report.

In cases where the minister or appropriate minister fails to do, subsection 2 of Section 12, empowers the Auditor General to submit the report to the Speaker so that he or she can table it in Parliament.

The failure by Minister Mthuli Ncube to table the 2021 audit reports from the Auditor General resulted in Deputy Speaker Tsitsi Gezi assuming the duty.

Reading the announcement in the National Assembly, Honourable Gezi said ‘’Section 12 (2) of the Audit Office Act, Chapter 22:18 provides that where the Minister or appropriate Minister fails to lay any report before the National Assembly in terms of subsection (1) within the period specified therein, the Auditor-General shall transmit a copy of such report to the Speaker of the National Assembly for the Speaker to lay it before the National Assembly.

‘’I, therefore, lay before the Table the following reports by the Auditor-General for the Financial year ended December 31, 2021, on State Owned Enterprises and Parastatals and Finance year ended 31 December 2021 on Appropriation Accounts Finance and Revenue Statements and Fund Accounts,’’ she said.

The audit reports were supposed to be transmitted to the minister not later than the 30^th of June in accordance with Section 10.1.(a) of the Audit Office Act.

Gezi forced to table audit reports as Mthuli Ncube sleeps on duty