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VP Mphoko

Bulawayo Bureau
GOVERNMENT should tighten internal control systems in both public and private organisations to curb revenue leakages, Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko has said. His sentiments come at a time when the country is reportedly losing millions of dollars due to externalisation, tax evasion and smuggling.

Officiating at the 3rd Internal Control Congress for Africa organised by the Internal Control Institute of Zimbabwe (ICIZ), which opened here yesterday, VP Mphoko said criminal activity at border posts and within organisations could only end with the enactment of robust internal control systems. Internal control systems are used in accounting and auditing as a process for assuring achievement of an organisation’s objectives in operational effectiveness and efficiency, reliable financial reporting and compliance with laws, regulations and policies.

“Most organisations fail due to lack of adequate internal control and requisite knowledge to institute robust internal control,” said VP Mphoko. “It’s important to come up with a holistic approach towards developing robust internal control in our organisations at all levels,” he said.VP Mphoko said parastatals were losing millions of dollars due to weak internal control systems.

He said there was need for serious interrogation of all internal systems and a review of outdated internal control as people were getting more sophisticated due to technological advancement. It was important to curb cyber crime, he said.

“The importance of sound internal control in Government operations cannot be overemphasised,” said VP Mphoko. “As Government, we need robust internal control systems to curb revenue leakages, especially in those institutions mandated to collect revenue such as Zimra and Zinara.

“Internal control systems need to be strengthened at our porous borders in order to curb revenue loss and criminal activity and we can all do this if we fight together.” VP Mphoko said some of the key issues to look into include control environment, risk assessment, control activities, as well as information and communication. He said policymakers the world over were seized with the urgent need to engage in internal control in response to significant losses incurred by organisations. VP Mphoko said the congress could not have come at a better time for Africa in general and Zimbabwe, in particular in both the public and private sector, as cyber crime had become an issue. He noted that internal controls assisted to instil discipline among the workforce, hence both public and private institutions needed to measure up with the new technological challenge to curb crime bedevilling African nations. The conference ends today.