Musina Municipality received its tenth successive clean audit report, as announced by the auditor general on Monday. This means that, for the past ten years, the tax payer’s money has been used responsibly and every cent was accounted for.

The auditor-general has a constitutional mandate and, as the Supreme Audit Institution of South Africa, it exists to strengthen the country’s democracy by enabling oversight, accountability and governance in the public sector through auditing, thereby building public confi-dence.

Financial statements and performance information of Musina Municipality for the year end 30 June 2009 were audited in accordance with international standards on auditing and it was found that the municipality is able to sustain itself financially and there are no indications that its financial sustainability is under threat.

The municipality has, for the previous years, taken the lead in the financial viability and financial management key performance areas during the provincial Vuna Awards ceremonies. Besides that, Musina Local Municipality also hold countless regional, provincial and national awards after it was recorded that much has been achieved in providing communities with basic services like water, electricity and housing.

Mayor Caroline Mahasela thanked all staff members, community structures, private partners and government departments who made the clean audit report a reality.

The obviously jubilant municipal manager, Abram Luruli, said: “It is a clear fact that Musina Municipality is known for its consistency in providing quality service to its community, despite staff shortages and limited resources. This does not need a guest speaker to emphasize that it is a wonderful achievement which had made our municipality one of the best in the country. An effective financial management system is the foundation of sound financial management.”

Luruli says with the support of the Council, community members and different stakeholders, things are moving in the right direction. “Since I joined the municipality in June 1998, the support has been overwhelming. We cannot claim the achievements on our own. It is only through hard work and joint efforts that we can achieve more success. We are looking forward to more clean audit reports, whatever circumstances we come across.”