A critical analysis of administrative practices in the department of agriculture, conservation and environment - North West Province

Abstract

The flaws in the financial discipline of the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Environment has urged me to explore the Department's financial management with a view to coming up with appropriate recommendations for solution thereof. Change in the financial management is a necessary process for the rest of the public service in South Africa to address their disturbing trends in the fledging provincial administration. According to Mr T J Mokgoro, the former Director General of the North West Provincial Administration, the main aim of change is to address the discrepancies of the past and to achieve representative and effective public service delivery with greater responsibility and accountability Although there are signs of progress having been achieved in most public service operational areas, blockages still exist in financial management of public funds. According to Audit Talk (2000), the business day of 04 August 2000, reported that the lament of the Auditor General was that untrained staff handling the finances, is the main stumbling block in the way government wishes to create effective public service. It is critical to gear up the financial internal control systems and to tighten the monitoring mechanisms in order to be in line with transformation. There is no way that management can escape the fact that there are weaknesses in the way finances are run in the Department. Incidents were identified by auditors where review to improve the anomalies is imperative. To address the deficiencies in the financial management, questionnaires were distributed to senior officials of the Department in order to come up with the appropriate solution. The main aim was to lay a foundation where management will be assured that funds are utilised effectively and efficiently. The result of the research is to have an effective financial management tool that will enhance the financial internal control environment. It is envisaged that all stakeholders will know the role they play in financial management. Obstacles which block the financial transformation should be removed and focus must be on structures that seriously support reform in the financial management.