adminRumbidzayi Zinyuke Business Reporter
AUDITORS have been encouraged to play a vital role in ensuring that organisations comply with the provisions of the new Constitution that encourages accountability and transparency.Addressing internal auditors at the Institute of Internal Auditors annual conference in Victoria Falls last week, legal practitioner and former Constitution Select Committee chairman Mr Munyaradzi Paul Mangwana said the role of internal auditors had become more important under the new Constitution.
“The work of internal auditors has been cut out for them. The new Constitution demands accountability and transparency from organisations and they have to come in and make sure that people are complying,” he said.
He said the new Constitution encouraged people to be accountable for the way they use money in organisations and had provisions that make sure that executives did not play around with public funds.
“It is in procurement where public resources are wasted, this is one area where corruption is endemic. In terms of the Constitution, procurement has to be done openly, transparently using the Procurement Act and auditors are now very key because they have to check whether the system is being complied with by those people given the responsibility with procurement,” he said.
Mr Mangwana added that auditors should do value for money assessments and audits to ascertain if the organisation would gain value through the procurement. He said they should also make sure the procurements were done effectively to the advantage of the organisation.
He said parastatals would also have to open up and do procurement with value for money in mind so that they would not waste State resources.
“An Act of Parliament must prescribe procedures for the procurement of goods and services by the State and all institutions and agencies of Government at every level, so that procurement is effected in a manner that is transparent, fair, honest, cost effective and competitive,” he said.
He noted that it was important to examine the current Procurement Act to see whether it provides for what is outlined in the Constitution
“The Constitution demands that such contracts must be negotiated transparently. In the event that any such contracts were awarded without complying with the strict provisions of Clause 315 then citizens can challenge the constitutionality of such arrangements before the Constitutional Court,” he said.
He said the Anti-Corruption Commission and the Auditor-General’s Office would have to work hard to investigate crimes of corruption and any failure to account for public resources.
“The creation of the two offices was one way we could make sure that the Constitution addresses the issue of corruption and accountability,” he said.
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