The Southern African Institute of Government Auditors (SAIGA) says it is ready to collaborate with local government to help address capacity and skills challenges which may be faced by the newly elected South African political party councillors.
In fact, the organisation says it is willing to provide the newly elected councillors and other members including associates of the public sector with access to a broader base of training and development courses, programmes, workshops, seminars, research, and related activities. This is a means by the organisation to try respond to capacity challenges in the local government sphere with relevant capacity development programmes.
Russel Morena, CEO for the Southern African Institute of Government Auditors says he believes that if you are a councillor at any local municipality, which controls millions of rands, you need to be able to understand basic finance and accounting, you need to be able to get the basics of an income statement and you need to be ethical.
Morena says: “Service delivery that satisfies citizens depends on clean governance and strengthening capacity building in the public sector. However, good public sector governance is everyone’s responsibility.”
He says that an efficient public sector is the responsibility of everyone, whether working in government or not. Therefore, he adds that beneficial management of the South African democratic process relies on active and constructive participation of all.
Through the organisation’s training academy, Public Sector Accountancy and Audit Academy (PSAAA), which is the recognised and accredited training provider of SAIGA CPD and short courses, will provide local government with various tailer made financial, business and accounting courses.
“These are some of the courses that can help one develop the art of integrating the financial impact on the Environment, Society, Economy and Governance in communication. Our role as SAIGA is to serve the public interest by strengthening capacity building in the public sector. I believe that through such courses the public sector can achieve clean governance and quality service delivery that leads to a happy citizenry.”