Latest news with #Auditor
The Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
AG report finds flaws in selected pre-q procurement in three ministries
KUALA LUMPUR: The Auditor General's Report (AG Report) 2/2025 has raised concerns over the Selected Pre-Qualified Open Tender Procurement (Selected Pre-Q Procurement) method used by three ministries, stating it fails to expedite procurement as intended. The ministries under scrutiny are the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA), the Ministry of Works (KKR), and the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development (KKDW). The audit, which focused on the Sabah Public Works Department (JKR) under KKR, found that the method allows potential manipulation and lacks transparency in company selection. 'Only certain companies were approved to participate in the tender, reducing market competitiveness,' the report stated. Another issue highlighted was the absence of a comprehensive database of reputable contractors. 'Ministries or departments involved do not have a database related to the list of reputable and high-performing companies,' the report noted. This gap further delays the process, with procurement periods stretching between 152 and 553 days due to unclear timelines. The AG Report recommended discontinuing the Selected Pre-Q Procurement method in favour of open tenders to ensure accountability. However, it acknowledged that the method could still be relevant for large-scale projects requiring specific technical and financial capabilities. To improve efficiency, the audit suggested stricter project selection criteria, focusing on urgent and non-specialised projects. It also called for clearer evaluation terms and the use of centralised databases like the Construction Industry Development Board's (CIDB) Centralised Information Management System (CIMS). – Bernama
The Print
16-07-2025
- Business
- The Print
Audit lists PCB corruption of PKR 6.5 billion. Pakistanis not surprised it's chief Naqvi again
The audit report states that Naqvi reportedly received PKR 4.17 million in reimbursement for utilities, fuel, and accommodation—benefits his ministerial position should already cover. The Pakistanis have found a target for their ire: The PCB chief and Pakistan's interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi. New Delhi: Crumbling under the weight of corruption and administrative collapse, Pakistan's cricket board is coming undone like a house of cards. From a failing administration to a revolving door of coaches, the PCB is facing an existential crisis. The death knell comes in the form of an audit report released Sunday by the Auditor General of Pakistan, highlighting staggering corruption amounting to approximately PKR 6.5 billion last year. While PCB officials defend these expenses as legitimate, citing Naqvi's additional responsibilities within the board, the audit categorically rejects this claim and recommends the recovery of the funds along with a thorough investigation. According to local reports, when approached, PCB's current Director of Media deflected blame, insisting none of the irregularities happened during Naqvi's tenure. Ironically, the appointment of the Director of Media is also under the scanner. For many Pakistanis, the findings are unsurprising. 'Funny how each and every audit report points towards Mohsin Naqvi,' remarked Omer, a Pakistani cricket enthusiast and commentator, on X. Even Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz was dragged into the discussions. Some allege the report is part of a personal vendetta. 'Maryam Nawaz versus Mohsin Naqvi. On one side, Mohsin Naqvi spreads news of the Punjab government's corruption, while on the other side, in retaliation, Maryam Nawaz's media cell also spreads news of Mohsin Naqvi's corruption. The competition is fierce; let's see who succeeds in committing more corruption because time is short and the targets are big,' an X user, Iqbal, pointed out. Also read: Azhar Mahmood is Pakistan's 7th head coach in four years. 'Another masterclass in failure' PCB's corruption crisis Beyond Naqvi's personal gains, the report paints a bleak picture of systemic mismanagement. Another example is the rapid appointment of a media director in October 2023. The position comes with a monthly salary of Rs 900,000. The entire hiring process—from advertisement to contract signing—occurred in a single day, raising questions about transparency. PKR 63.39 million was spent on meal charges for police personnel during international matches, a cost PCB claims is part of VVIP security protocols. The audit counters that security is a government responsibility, not that of the cricket board. Other puzzling expenses include PKR 22.5 million on coasters hired for match days, PKR 19.8 million on diesel for government-provided bulletproof vehicles, and PKR 3.9 million in rent paid on a fictitious lease agreement. The audit also criticised the PCB for awarding contracts without open bidding. Deals involving ticketing, media rights, and international broadcasting were executed without transparency, causing losses estimated at over PKR 500 million. The mishandling of broadcasting rights alone potentially cost the board nearly PKR 27.4 million. Compounding these woes, sponsorship dues totalling PKR 5.3 billion remain unrecovered. Also read: Pakistan cricket is in a 'dark age', ushered in by politics, corruption, terrorism & crumbling infra Revolving door This financial turmoil unfolds amid a revolving door at the PCB chairman's office. Since December 2022, three chairmen, Najam Sethi, Zaka Ashraf, and now Mohsin Naqvi, have held the reins. This instability has contributed to an environment rife with uncertainty and politicisation, according to reports. The team's performance has suffered in parallel. Pakistan's defence of their 2017 Champions Trophy title ended embarrassingly in the group stages on home soil. Subsequent tours, like the clean sweep defeat in New Zealand's 2024 T20Is and ODIs, have only added to public disappointment. Test cricket results have been underwhelming as well, with 14 wins against 18 losses in 38 matches over five years. (Edited by Theres Sudeep)
The Hindu
29-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Karnataka Bank MD and Executive Director resign
Karnataka Bank Managing Director and CEO Srikrishnan Hari Hara Sarma and Executive Director Sekhar Rao have resigned from their positions. Accepting their resignations, the Board of Directors of the Bank on Sunday constituted a search committee to identify a new MD & CEO and Executive Director, said a late-night release from the Bank. While Mr. Sarma's resignation would be effective from July 15, Mr. Rao's resignation would be effective from July 31. They had joined the Bank on June 9, 2023 and February 1, 2023, respectively. The release quoted Mr. Sarma, citing personal reasons, including his decision to relocate back to Mumbai, as the reason for his resignation. Mr. Rao has cited the inability to relocate to Mangaluru and other personal reasons. The Bank has appointed an experienced senior banker as the Chief Operating Officer (COO), who will take charge on July 2. Substitute arrangements are also being made, subject to the Regulator's approval. On the Notes to Accounts contained in the audited Financial Statements for the FY25 leading to an Emphasis of Matter in the Auditor's Report, the Bank stated that it has been discussed and amicably resolved. The Bank continues to take necessary steps to ensure operational stability and assures various stakeholders that it is well capitalised and continues to be sound as hitherto. The transformational journey embarked upon by the Bank would continue unhindered, the release added.
IOL News
15-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
AGSA report reveals mismanagement in KwaZulu-Natal infrastructure projects
The KwaZulu-Natal Legislature in Pietermaritzburg, where the Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA) presented its findings on contractors appointed to key infrastructure projects in KwaZulu-Natal that were not qualified or capable of performing the required work leading to substandard quality and cost overruns. Image: Shan Pillay The Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA) found contractors appointed to key infrastructure projects in KwaZulu-Natal were not qualified or capable of performing the required work, leading to substandard quality and cost overruns. The AGSA found that the KwaNqetho Reservoir in the eThekwini municipality, a critical water infrastructure project, was delayed because of mismanagement. In addition, the material used around the reservoir platform indicated poor backfilling compaction, particularly on the steep slope of the reservoir. Nomalungelo Mkhize, AGSA Business Unit Leader in KZN, presented the local government audit outcomes of the Municipal Financial Management Act (MFMA) to the KZN Legislature-Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) and the Portfolio Committee on Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) on Tuesday. The AGSA looked at 15 infrastructure projects in the eThekwini, Msunduzi, uMhlathuze, KwaDukuza, Okhahlamba and uMkhanyakude municipalities. The AGSA said there were five new projects and 10 projects where they did follow-ups on the prior year findings and continued auditing the project as part of its life cycle. The AGSA also audited existing infrastructure which they identified in different stages of a project life cycle including wastewater treatment works, solid waste, landfill sites and roads. The AGSA found that the Mkhizwana Water Treatment Works project in eThekwini was delayed by 221 days due to gross negligence in the preparation of designs and drawings. Also, the Nondabuya Water Supply Scheme in the Umkhanyakude was delayed with only 726 of 1,811 households being connected to the reticulation system. The AGSA found that installation was in a worse condition compared to the previous audit. Other infrastructure delivery weaknesses include the Austerville Substation south of Durban, which was intended to supply increased and stable electricity to industrial, commercial and residential customers. The project has been in the planning phase for 15 years. The AGSA stated that this project faced significant delays due to project mismanagement, planning inefficiencies, contractor-related issues and financial mismanagement. The AGSA said that the civil works portion of the Austerville project was originally planned to be completed by 18 August 2021. However, due to multiple stoppages, the project was delayed, ultimately leading to the termination of the contractor on 25 January 2023 with only 63.97% of the work completed. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad Loading The Namibia Stop 8 Housing Project in eThekwini, aimed at delivering 343 housing units, remains behind schedule with only 29 units completed as of September 2024. The AGSA raised concerns regarding project oversight, resource allocation, and contractor accountability. Its' report stated that causes of delays were due to poor quality cost overruns and service interruptions, largely due to inadequate project planning and needs assessment. The AGSA found that many of the projects suffered from inadequate needs assessment and project planning. It found numerous cases, where the contractors were appointed were not qualified or capable of performing the required work to meet the agreed upon standards. This included delays in meeting milestones and failed to adhere to contract specifications leading to substandard quality and cost overruns.
IOL News
08-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
IDPs should shape an economically enabled environment
Strategic infrastructure development remains a cornerstone of the effectiveness of an IDP. Image: Supplied. South Africa's municipal planning season is in full stretch as local governments carve out their respective development plans for 2025/2026. A lot is a stake for the elected public officials, with just about a year to go until the next local government elections. The Integrated Development Plan is an essential blueprint for a municipality that informs its overall framework for socio-economic development. IDPs play a fundamental role to direct municipal councils on how to allocate resources as well as how political officials aim to aid development of their areas. They are prioritised given their ability to integrate a municipality's strategic goal and force all relevant departments to be on the same page. One can say that, over the past years if not decade, respective IDPs developed across South Africa's municipalities simply look to address issues instead of creating new avenues that can foster local economic development. This is evidenced by the several reports by the Auditor General highlighting how poor planning and coordination continues to be seen; poor implementation, weaknesses in infrastructure development and service delivery that further exacerbates the poor conditions of municipalities. Interestingly IDPs still continue to be developed in full compliance. However, with processes still being ignored, this results in poor implementation and a failure to fulfil service delivery. Infrastructure and basic services remain central towards creating a healthy environment for foreign investments. This is only possible through plans that can easily address problems faced in local government to diversify economic participation and facilitate job creation. As South Africa finds way to enhance its environment for long term sustainable economic growth, IDPs need to be curated factoring key levers to facilitate enabling conditions for investments: Infrastructure Development Strategic infrastructure development remains a cornerstone of the effectiveness of an IDP. With more than R51 billion allocated, development plans need to be proactive blueprints that develop basic infrastructure projects instead of only addressing endless backlog of challenges. As the current infrastructure struggles to cater for the current demands, more work is required to ensure that infrastructure development caters for road construction, waste management services, and most critically electricity and water supply. Development of local infrastructure requires to be aligned with national government's aggressive infrastructure investment programmes set out in its Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Business-Friendly Policies Investor friendly policies facilitate easy access and entry of new businesses in municipalities. The integration and implementation of inter-sectoral planning into IDPs, ensures that strategic plans such as Integrated Transport Plans (ITPs) and Integrated Waste Management Plans (IWMP) feed into the overall delivery of basic services that can encourage the private sector to play an impactful role in creating job opportunities and optimise local economic development. The current Review of White Paper on Local Government is one of the most critical processes being conducted by government to improve the governance and how municipalities operate for sustainable development. The White Paper will also be expected to address red tape, bureaucratic hurdles and administrative simplification in municipal processes, which will be able to make engagement between government and businesses much more efficient. Public-Private Partnerships The latest amendments to the municipal public-private partnership regulations showcase a growing need for effective collaborations amongst various stakeholders, more especially between government and private sector. Amendments include limiting the ability of accounting officers to cancel successful PPP projects, providing greater security for investors. This includes enhancing transparency and accountability in municipal PPP project management. With the decline of new project transactions in South Africa, harmonizing the environment with long term plans and programmes through the IDP can encourage private sector to participate in the delivery of much‐needed infrastructure, and ease pressure on stretched government finances. As the IDP prioritises inclusive economic growth, working closely with the private sector for enhanced developments will be capable to intensify socio-economic upliftment, foster comprehensive urban development and channel municipality's effort to integrated and sustainable urban planning. Concerted efforts and a pragmatic approach to IDP planning is the only way possible to ensure municipalities sustainably grow and remain attractive for business to operate in them. However, this can only be possible if public officials can commit towards actions and planning that make development plans more meaningful instead of being idealistic dreams. Nkululeko Dhlamini is the Public Affairs Manager for Nestle Eastern and Southern Africa Region (ESAR). Nkululeko Dhlamini is the Public Affairs Manager for Nestle Eastern and Southern Africa Region (ESAR). Image: Supplied.
