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He stayed away from euphemisms by exposing in cold and rigorous detail the financial deterioration in the spheres of governance of SA and its departments and entities, and the effect that mismanagement and corruption had on ordinary South Africans and service delivery. A shovel was a shovel, and money spent on a fence where there was no fence was clearly a problem.
Makwetu was unfazed in case his blunt approach made him unpopular. He was there to serve the constitution and the people of SA, not the political bosses and accountants who played loose and fast with public money.
And that he did.
While Makwetu himself said that his legacy must be judged by the people affected by his work, it can be said without question that his legacy is manifold.
The chairman of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa), Mkhuleko Hlengwa, told Business Day that the additional powers that the auditor general obtained during Makwetu’s tenure, which ensured that accountants can be held liable for material irregularities under his supervision. , were the hallmark of the Makwetu mandate. .
But he was far from the only one.
He said Makwetu had the ability to overcome divisions in politics and built an office that was sustainable well beyond his tenure. It wasn’t about him, it was about strengthening the institution.
Hlengwa said he led from the front when the office was under attack, but made sure to work side by side with colleagues, including his deputy, Tsakani Maluleke, who will be his successor.
“He died with his boots on,” Hlengwa said, referring to Makwetu reporting to Scopa just a few weeks ago.
While knowledge about his private life is limited, colorful details dot his no-nonsense public persona.
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