Monday, September 7, 2015

SABC gets its 5th consecutive qualified audit in 5 years; SABC once again fails to get a clean audit, while chairperson, communication minister are happy about it.




The SABC is getting its 5th consecutive qualified audit for its latest annual report - and instead of reporting how terribly bad it is, which it is, the South African public broadcaster is reporting spin from both the minister of communications, Faith Muthambi, as well as the SABC chairperson, prof. Mbulaheni Obert Maguvhe on how great it is.

A qualified audit from the Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu means that the Auditor-General (AG) found types of situations which are completely out line with the generally accepted accounting principles - as opposed to an unqualified audit which the SABC is supposed to be getting.

For the past 5 years the SABC has gotten a qualified audit. The SABC even deteriorated so far with its annual financial report in 2012/2013 that the struggling public broadcaster got a disclaimer from the AG.

A disclaimer of opinion is the worst audit opinion from the Auditor-General and the most disturbing rating.

Here is the painfully, and shamefully obvious: What it means is that the SABC AGAIN DIDN'T MANAGE to get what is called a CLEAN AUDIT. 

For YET ANOTHER YEAR in a row.

That is what the SABC should be reporting and have reported to SABC licence fee payers and the public as its main focus and angle - but isn't and didn.t

Imagine your child throws out three glasses of wine or three mugs of coffee or tea on your living room carpet.

No parent in the world is going to praise the child and say "Oh, that great. It's only three glasses of red wine toppled over on my carpet; last week when friends visited, it was five." You will justifiably be furious. 

Yet that is exactly what the SABC is doing - and there's no anger at the SABC at all over failing. Instead the SABC and the country's minister of communications, Faith Muthambi, is praising the very bad situation at the SABC because it is less bad than previous years.

The SABC held the South African public broadcaster's annual general meeting (AGM) on Friday to officially release its annual report and financial statements for 2014/2015.

The SABC reported - as did its controversial and famously matricless Hlaudi Motsoeneng as chief operating officer (COO) in parliament last month - that the SABC now has R1 billion in the bank.

SABC chairperson prof. Mbulaheni Obert Maguvhe spinned the situation - saying not that the SABC is accountable, or most accountable, but saying:

"We are more accountable and that management looked at the previous AG's report and came up with an action plan made us to reduce the number of the qualifications - this is a massive improvement from 8 to 3 that is what I can attribute to the reduction of the qualifications."

Faith Muthambi is ecstatic with the SABC spilling wine (again) on the carpet she is responsible for - perhaps because it it's her own house.

"It was a very exciting meeting in the sense that the SABC has managed to decrease their qualifications."

"In past financial year, they had 8 qualifications now they have decreased to 3 and you know the history of the SABC when it comes to issues of financial performance. I am so excited with this progress that the SABC is making," said Faith Muthambi.

Look at the SABC's story on Friday, check the spin, and think for yourself whether how the SABC News is reporting this, is fair and accurate about the public broadcaster itself.