South Africa’s Auditor General Sets Global Standard Ahead of SAI20 Summit

AG Maluleke’s bold stance on full annual public audits gains international traction as global peers look to emulate South Africa’s accountability model

As Johannesburg prepares to host the Supreme Audit Institutions of the G20 (SAI20) summit, Auditor General Tsakani Maluleke is making waves both locally and abroad.

Maluleke has positioned South Africa’s unique constitutional mandate to audit every single public institution annually as not only an accountability mechanism, but a global gold standard. And with the SAI20 convening this month, that message is resonating louder than ever.

“It is the perspective that is unique to AGSA in this country,” Maluleke told the media. “But it is also a perspective that is becoming more and more aspirational for our peers across the globe.”

Why South Africa’s audit system is turning heads

Unlike many of her counterparts in the G20, Maluleke leads an office with a constitutional obligation to audit every public institution, every year, from national departments down to the smallest municipalities.

This level of scrutiny, backed by the Public Audit Act, ensures that financial records, compliance levels, performance data, and internal controls are all reviewed in one comprehensive sweep. The AGSA doesn’t just spot the errors, it maps the systemic weaknesses.

“We don’t only look at finances,” said Maluleke. “We bring engineers, quantity surveyors and specialists into the audit process to give decision-makers credible and practical insights.”

It’s an approach that’s gaining respect from global auditing leaders—and one that may soon shape how other countries oversee public spending.

SAI20: Raising the bar on development and accountability

The SAI20 Summit, a G20-linked initiative, is being held under the banner of collaborative public sector accountability. Hosted in Johannesburg, it’s exploring ways to unlock public infrastructure investment, narrow the skills gap, and promote sustainable development.

The AGSA’s leadership has helped push the group toward a new consensus Communiqué, which outlines how Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs) should evolve:

• Choosing more impactful focus areas

• Producing credible and actionable insights

• Becoming partners to governments, not just watchdogs

Maluleke says the aim is for AGs to influence policy through insight, helping governments make smarter, more transparent choices around public investments and human capital development.

“We’re not just bean counters anymore. We’re part of the development conversation,” Maluleke said.

Clean audits remain elusive, but lessons are clear

Only 41 out of 257 municipalities achieved clean audits this year. It’s a troubling statistic that underscores the urgent need for better governance and skilled project management, especially with the G20 leadership spotlight soon shining on South Africa.

Maluleke said infrastructure failures have taught AGSA how to frame more targeted and practical recommendations, which is why the office now blends technical and financial expertise on its audit teams.

“Team AGSA is evolving. And the kind of lessons we’re sharing with global peers today come from real issues we’ve dealt with on the ground.”

From Johannesburg to the G20 stage

Although the recommendations from SAIs aren’t legally binding, Maluleke believes they hold growing moral and strategic weight, particularly as G20 nations seek answers to worsening inequality, corruption, and ineffective public spending.

She wants to ensure AGs’ voices are heard not just in audit circles but at the heads-of-state level.

“We will be sharing our findings with the leaders of the G20,” she confirmed. “So they can appreciate the role of auditors as enabling partners on the journey of development.”

Leading by example

South Africa’s audit system may be burdened by local inefficiencies, but its structural commitment to transparency is fast becoming a global case study in how to strengthen democracy.

With AG Maluleke at the helm and the world’s top public auditors gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa is not just part of the conversation, it’s leading it.

And as the world watches the SAI20 summit unfold, one thing is clear: accountability, done right, can become a nation’s most influential export.

{Source: IOL}

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