SAIGA CONFERENCE A SUCCESS – MOGOENG
The Protea Hotel Fire & Ice in Menlyn was a hive of activity as public figures, politicians, and the who’s who in the auditing and accounting profession gathered for the SAIGA 2nd Annual Conference in mid-September.
Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma opened proceedings as she delivered the keynote address, which she used to bring a fresh perspective to thoughtful discussions on governance issues.
Dlamini-Zuma invited also used the platform to invite SAIGA to put its shoulder to the wheel and part of the government’s District Developmental Model (DDM) initiative, an all-of-government approach to improve integrated planning and delivery across the three spheres of government.
“I give SAIGA homework. We have decided to have a review of local government so that, instead of looking at things piecemeal, we should rather look holistically at what has happened in the last 21 years. We will appreciate a review from SAIGA before the end of the calendar year,” said Dlamini-Zuma.
Attending via hybrid, the former African Union Commission chairperson was joined by a distinguished group of thought leaders and opinion makers, who took turns on stage tackling a wide range of topics, including “culture shift of role players in the ecosystem/ value chain of service delivery”, among others.
The discussions aimed to provide answers to the question of how public sector accountants and audit professionals can contribute toward good administration and assist departments and other state entities produce clean audit outcomes to enhance good service delivery and good governance.
Also on Day 1, Tax Ombudsman and judge Bernard Ngoepe shared his views on how South Africa overcome its obstacles while on Day 2, deputy Auditor-General, Vonani Chauke talked about the compensation and retention of young professionals.
Motivational speaker Kabelo Ncholo shared tips on how employees can improve service standards and be recognised as capable and adequate to work across the entire public sector.
Former Chiefs Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng captivated the audience with his speech at the gala dinner, which was followed by the SAIGA Awards ceremony.
SAIGA President Phillip Rakgwale and CEO, Russel Morena, handed them the Academic Research, Advancing Accountability and Auditing recognitions as well as the Presidential Recognition awards.
The two wrapped up what was widely regarded as a successful two-day summit.
