Politicians yesterday focused heavily on the Independent Communications Authority of SA's (ICASA's) problematic internal financial controls, especially the role and function of its internal audit committee, which they consider to be verging on dysfunctional.
This happened after ICASA presented its annual report to Parliament's communications oversight committee.
According to the annual report: “Parliament and council are urged to take a closer look at the stewardships of finances within ICASA, not so much because of dishonesty, but because of indolence and incompetence that has now taken root.”
The report also says that, while the internal audit committee was working, its success rate was only 30% and that none of its work had been used by the auditor-general when that body was doing its inspections.
A member of ICASA's internal audit committee said the authority's management had not taken up its recommendations, but - after vacillating in his answers - was angrily shouted down by De Lange.
“No, you have had four chances at answering questions. You must do your work,” De Lange said.
I felt like a fish in a pond and had to think on my feet.
Stephen Mncube, ICASA chairman
The ICASA annual report also says the finance function within ICASA is poorly-led, managed and supervised, which is the duty of the CEO and CFO. Karabo Motlana was CEO until he left ICASA in September, on the expiration of his contract.
Members of Parliament from all the political parties were in agreement that the regulator had tried to sweeten its report to Parliament, by focusing on its positive points and ignoring issues such as its audit qualifications.
The politicians said that, while the summary presented by chairman Stephen Mncube and CEO Themba Dlamini seems to have been well edited, closer inspection showed the state of the finances was “depressing.”
Mncube tried to answer most of the politicians' questions by pointing to ex-ICASA chairman Paris Mashile, who left at the end of July and did not do a proper exit report.
“I felt like a fish in a pond and had to think on my feet,” Mncube said.
Mncube said ICASA's main problem with controlling its finances was that it was still using manual systems, which were slow and laborious, but that a vendor had been indentified to automate the process.
However, these responses did not mollify the politicians.
“What you have given us are ideas. Ideas are good, but we want solutions and that we are not getting,” said Democratic Alliance shadow communications minister Natasha Michael.
Acting communications committee chairperson Eric Kohlwane said ICASA had to submit a report by the end of December on what it was doing to resolve the internal audit issues and to improve its financial controls.
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