[ad_1]
Auditor General Kimi Makwetu. (Jan Gerber, News24)
- Auditor General Kimi Makwetu was about to hand over the reins to his deputy, Tsakani Maluleke.
- He had been battling lung cancer for the past two years, but was still doing his duties.
- Makwetu was finalizing reports, including one on Covid-19 corruption at the time of his death.
Thembekile Kimi Makwetu had only two weeks left in office before handing over the baton of the Auditor General’s office to his deputy Tsakani Maluleke.
He was knee-deep in finalizing the reports, which included a full report on Covid-19 corruption, in anticipation of his last day in office on November 30.
On November 11, however, he took his last breath, at the age of 54.
For two years, Makwetu had been battling stage four lung cancer, but was still diligently performing his office duties.
Two weeks ago, all political parties found an unusual consensus in celebrating Makwetu and recognizing the great work it had done.
The district attorney highlighted his “honorable service to the people of South Africa”, while the EFF said he served the country with dignity even in difficult times and the IFP said he was an ambassador for good governance.
Thirteen year period
The Cape Town-born chartered accountant had headed the South African Auditor General (AGSA) for the past 13 years, first as Terrence Nombembe’s Deputy Auditor General and then assuming office.
Makwetu had seen everything as the custodian of how public funds are used. Each year its reports contain shocking findings of unsuccessful, wasteful and irregular spending at every level of the state.
In September, he gave an account of how a bad situation in public finances worsened when he detailed how R147.4 billion of the emergency budget was misappropriated during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He described his office’s findings as “scary” by detailing how public funds were abused from April to July 2020.
“Much of the effort that we put into this on the detection side of things has revealed a number of terrifying findings that require very quick follow-up so that there isn’t a significant time lag before the necessary actions are implemented,” Makwetu said at the time.
For him, finding the problems after the fact was not enough. He was determined to create systems that would prevent the misuse of state funds.
He became famous for upholding the Public Audit Amendment Act which gave him as AG the power to refer wrongdoing for further investigation and to initiate a process to recover lost funds. The law was adopted in 2018 and was described as a means of turning a Chihuahua’s attorney general’s office into a pit bull.
Reflecting on this. Makwetu recently said:
“Year after year, the results deteriorated and we couldn’t keep seeing this happen. Accounting officers now know that if they don’t address the supervisory issues, they will hit them in their own pocket. You’re using the law with a bit of persuasion. “
Known for his smooth demeanor, Makwetu had a degree in Social Sciences from the University of Cape Town, received a BCompt degree with honors from the University of Natal, and was a qualified public accountant.
His career started at Standard Bank and went on to work at Nampak.
Makwetu completed his articles at Deloitte, where he rose to senior management before joining Liberty and Metropolitan Life in Cape Town and then Johannesburg.
Prior to joining AG’s office, he was at Deloitte as a director in the firm’s forensic unit.
During his seven years as AG, Makwetu stayed away from the spotlight, opting instead to let his work speak for itself.
When asked by the Mail & Guardian about this, he replied:
“I’ve told my team that I don’t want to be like Michael Jackson, to the point where all the channels that people turn to, there I am. Remember when that song came out, he was on every channel, singing bede bede [beat it, beat it]. I don’t want to be that person. I’d rather turn in my reports and go back to the shadows and do my job. There’s a lot “.
Makwetu delivered his often gloomy reports with shrewd professionalism. Despite the rot that he exposed year after year, he did not allow his frustration to overcome his optimism.
He believed the groundwork was done and that the legacy of his efforts would be felt for years to come.
Makwetu is survived by his wife and three children.
