The Standing Committee on Public Accounts, having considered the Annual Report and the Report of the Auditor-General on the Council on Higher Education for the financial year ending 31 March 2002, reports as follows:

The Committee commends the management of the Council on Higher Education for the unqualified audit opinion expressed by the Auditor-General, and trust that future audit opinions will be equally unqualified.

The Committee also noted the following issues raised under Emphasis of Matter:

The accounting authority had not established an internal audit section and had not facilitated a risk assessment for the period under review;
The executive committee of the council is also serving as the audit committee of the council, and
No approval from National Treasury was obtained to open new bank accounts and also did not deposit funds in excess of R1 million with the Corporation for Public Deposits.

The Committee expects the accounting authority to expeditiously rectify all the issues in question.

The Committee will await the Report of the Auditor-General on the follow-up audit work in this regard.

Having considered the Annual Report, the Report of the Auditor-General and noted the unqualified audit opinion expressed by the Auditor-General, the Committee is of the view that no further interaction with the accounting authority is necessary for the financial year under review.

The Committee therefore awaits the next Annual Report and the Report of the Auditor-General.