THE Free State provincial government has posted its strongest audit performance in years, with no departments receiving adverse or disclaimer opinions and a major service-delivery department securing a clean audit for the first time.
Delivering the 2025/26 adjustment budget in the Provincial Legislature on Tuesday, MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism Ketso Makume said the province was “making meaningful progress in advancing good governance, accountability and sound financial management”.
For the second year in a row, all Public Financial Management Act auditees in the province avoided adverse or disclaimer outcomes.
Three institutions – the Provincial Treasury, the Provincial Legislature and the Housing Fund – once again achieved clean audits, meaning unqualified opinions with no findings.
Makume highlighted a significant milestone in the service-delivery environment: the Department of Economic Development and Tourism has become the first such department in the Free State to secure a clean audit for the 2024/25 financial year.
“This marks a significant step forward in strengthening administrative integrity and performance in departments that directly impact our citizens,” Makume told lawmakers.
Two trading entities that previously struggled with qualified audits – Fleet Management and MEDPAS – also recorded improvements.
Both moved to unqualified audit opinions with findings, indicating progress in financial controls and compliance.
Makume emphasised that the province had recorded no regressions in audit outcomes compared to the previous financial year, which he said demonstrated “growing stability and discipline in financial management across government institutions”.
The MEC also reported notable improvements in the audit of Predetermined Objectives (PDOs), which assess the reliability and usefulness of performance information.
Nine departments and two public entities received unqualified opinions on their PDOs – an 83 percent increase from the previous year, when only five departments and one entity met the criteria.
“These results reflect enhanced performance management, improved planning and a more consistent alignment between strategic objectives and measurable outcomes,” Makume said.
He added that the provincial government remained committed to working with departments, public entities and trading entities “to further strengthen governance, compliance and financial management practices”, with the goal of securing even better audit outcomes in the next financial year.
The improved audit performance comes as the provincial administration seeks to rebuild public trust and demonstrate prudent use of public resources amid ongoing economic pressures and service-delivery challenges.