The Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa), Mr Temba Godi, has said Parliament must play a role in the saga involving auditing firm KPMG.
“KPMG does significant work with state institutions, for which it is paid with public money. When it became apparent that there are issues around KPMG’s work that have created doubts about whether the company does its work to the standards expected, it was necessary that this engagement took place,” Mr Godi said.
“Scopa believed that it was in your own interest to engage Parliament and the public to reassure that there is still reason for KPMG to engage with the public,” he said.
The KPMG delegation was led by the new CEO, Ms Nhlamulo Dlomu. Who briefed Scopa on the work the firm does for the state. Ms Dlomu apologised to the Committee, saying that the firm respected Parliament wanted to be an objective service provider.
“It is important that our work is trustworthy and that you (Members of Parliament) can find comfort in using it. It is important to acknowledge the mistakes that have been made in the course of doing our work. We make mistakes and when that happens it is disappointing, but importantly we own up and seek to correct them,” Ms Dlomu said.
She asked that KPMG be given a chance to continue to build trust with the public sector. “We work in a highly regulated profession, and have operated successfully in this environment for many years. It is unfortunate that a small proportion of what we do resulted in our work being questioned,” she said.
Mr Godi said Parliament was busy with annual reports, some of which may be a product of work done by KPMG. “What then becomes our attitude to your work if there is a trust deficit? There is already a challenge, as that puts question marks to your expertise.”
He said professional bodies may already be investigating KPMG, but Parliament has a responsibility to engage the auditing firm publicly.
Sibongile Maputi
5 October 2017
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