Ezulwini –Public Accounts Committees (PACs) must be prepared to face resistance from powerful interests as they pursue the truth and expose possible wrongdoing in the use of public funds, Senate President Lindiwe Dlamini has warned.
“In your relentless pursuit of truth and exposure of malfeasance, you inevitably encounter friction and incur disfavor from powerful interests,” Senate President Lindiwe Dlamini said.
She was speaking yesterday when she officially opened the 18th Southern Africa Organisation of Public Accounts Committees (SADCO-PAC) Conference and 22nd Annual General Meeting at Happy Valley Hotel.
Sen. President said PAC members carried one of the most demanding responsibilities in public life, as they were required to scrutinise financial documents, government accounts and audit reports before public hearings.
She said while PAC members could face disfavor from influential interests, their oversight role remained essential in ensuring that controlling officers accounted for the use of public funds.
Dlamini said citizens often expected immediate results from oversight committees, despite the procedural requirements involved in parliamentary work.
She said public transparency strengthened government decision-making, built public trust in democratic institutions and served as a deterrent against corruption.
“Public funds belong to the citizens, and every cent spent by government must withstand public scrutiny to ensure it serves the national interest,” she said.
The Senate President also challenged PACs to move beyond checking whether government complied with financial and procurement rules and establish whether citizens actually benefited from public expenditure.
She said a government project could be completed within budget and on schedule but still fail to deliver its intended benefit.
Dlamini gave the example of a community clinic that could be completed according to specifications but remain non-functional because of inaccessibility or a lack of staff.
She urged PACs to conduct physical site visits and engage communities to establish whether government projects were delivering meaningful benefits.
She further called for stronger oversight before, during and after disasters, warning that emergency situations could create opportunities for procurement rules to be bypassed or costs to be inflated.
Dlamini said governments should invest in climate-resilient infrastructure to avoid repeatedly rebuilding public assets damaged by disasters.
She also stressed the importance of strengthening the technical skills of PAC members, noting that parliamentarians came from diverse professional backgrounds and that only a few entered public service with detailed knowledge of public-sector accounting.
She commended SADCO-PAC for its Capacity Building Project, which provides specialised training to PAC members, oversight bodies and technical officials supporting parliamentary committees.
Dlamini said SADCO-PAC’s continued operation since its establishment in 2003 demonstrated institutional resilience, while its record of never receiving a qualified audit opinion showed the importance of practising the accountability standards it expects from governments.
She urged delegates attending the three-day conference to develop practical resolutions that would strengthen public oversight and accountability across the region.
The conference brings together parliamentarians, Supreme Audit Institutions and other accountability bodies from across the region.
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