The gnats of public revenue flow unstrained :: Mmegi Online

Between 2010 and 2019, a technical officer at Central District Council earned a salary overpayment of P643,000, thanks to double payments from his former department and his current one. Thus far only P94,960 has been recovered. The latest Auditor General’s report shows that loopholes in public finance management persist. Staffer, MBONGENI MGUNI writes

According to the Bible, Jesus chided the Pharisees for “straining gnats and swallowing camels”, a criticism of how they improperly placed focus on minor issues, while allowing major ones to pass through.

The Auditor General’s frustration with public finance management appears to be the opposite. Generally, the accounting officers are able to account for the camels, the big ticket items that run into millions of pula and have the potential to rock the fiscus if mismanaged.

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