The Portfolio Committee on Communications and Digital Technologies has welcomed improved audit outcomes across entities in the communications and digital technologies portfolio, including clean audits for Sentech and the National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa (NEMISA), and SITA’s first unqualified audit opinion in six years.
During a meeting on Tuesday to consider the entities’ 2025/26 annual performance, the committee heard that Sentech and NEMISA each achieved 90% of their planned annual targets while maintaining clean audit opinions, reflecting strong governance and sound financial management.
The State Information Technology Agency (SITA) achieved an unqualified audit opinion, marking a significant turnaround after several years of qualified audit opinions and one audit disclaimer. The Universal Service and Access Agency of South Africa (USAASA) and the Universal Service and Access Fund (USAF) also obtained unqualified audit opinions.
While recognising the progress in audit outcomes, the committee emphasised that financial governance must be matched by effective programme implementation and service delivery. Performance against planned annual targets varied considerably among the entities reviewed, with USAASA achieving 100% of its targets, Sentech and NEMISA each achieving 90%, USAF attaining 60%, and SITA achieving 43%.
Committee Chairperson Ms Khusela Sangoni-Diko said the audit outcomes demonstrate the value of strong governance and accountability within public entities.
“Clean audit outcomes are an important indicator of sound financial management and effective governance. We welcome the performance of Sentech and NEMISA, and the improvement in SITA’s audit outcome. However, entities must also demonstrate that they are delivering on their mandates and achieving the targets set for them,” said Ms Sangoni-Diko.
The committee noted that USAASA’s achievement of 100% of its planned targets sets a positive benchmark for the portfolio. At the same time, the performance of USAF and SITA highlights the need for sustained attention to programme execution and the delivery of planned outputs.
The committee reiterated that effective oversight requires a balanced assessment of both financial accountability and performance. While audit outcomes provide assurance on the reliability of financial reporting and compliance with regulatory requirements, the achievement of annual performance targets remains a critical measure of whether entities are fulfilling their mandates and delivering value to the public.
Justice Molafo
13 October 2026
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