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Zvamaida Murwira in NYANGA 

Auditor General, Ms Mildred Chiri says her reports were meant to complement Government’s objective to build a robust base for economic growth and improve the lives of citizens as espoused by the National Development Strategy 1.

She said her audits were meant to ensure quality service delivery through enhancing public finance management and accountability.

Ms Chiri said this yesterday in Nyanga while delivering a keynote address during a workshop between her office and the media aimed to help journalists understand her work.

“One of the key fundamental principles informing the existence of this supreme audit institution, it is to make a difference in the lives of citizens. If audit recommendations are implemented, the positive difference that is expected in citizens lives will be realised,” said Ms Chiri.

She said the Government has through various economic blueprints such as NDS1 shown desire to build a sound base for economic growth for 2020 to 2030 which envisages an upper middle class by that period.

“My office will complement this role through giving sound recommendations through my audits. My office will also proffer practical recommendations to the various strategic areas of NDS1 so as to help to improve the quality of public finance management which will in turn enhance public accountability and transparency,” she said.

“This will also ensure quality service delivery as the national objective will be achieved through minimum loss of resources.”

She said while her reports unravel some inadequacies, excesses and lack of compliance, there was need for the media to highlight the positives being done by Government ministries and State entities.

“Audit reports by their nature point out anomalies in an organisation which mainly impeach on financial resources. In other words, our reports are by exception. However that does not mean there are no positive developments and successes in that entity that would have been audited,” she said.

“The media is urged to report the success stories as well so as to get a balanced view of the overall performance of an entity. The audit report alone gives half of the story of an organisation. The other half can be obtained from the ministry itself. 

“Therefore assessing the overall performance of the public entity using the AG report alone would be myopic and incomplete.”

Turning to the role of the media, Ms Chiri said the publicity her work has enjoyed has helped people appreciate her mandate and contribution to national development. 

“You have helped my office to reach out to millions of people, some of them in most remote parts of the country. That is just how relevant and complementary you are to my office,” she said.

Ms Chiri said she will soon table summary reports in vernacular language starting with Ndebele and Shona.

This, she said was in response to concerns that reports be also made in vernacular language.