Science and technology minister Naledi Pandor has hailed her department‚ and those of social development‚ sports and recreation‚ and defence‚ as well as various state entities for achieving clean-audit outcomes.

“As you would know my common complaint about South Africa is that we have become a moaning nation. We are always complaining‚” she said in Pretoria on Monday.

 “It is very rare for us to celebrate the achievements‚ both of government and broadly of our country so I am pleased to be here celebrating achievements of various government departments and state entities.”

She said the departments‚ state entities Armscor‚ Human Science Research Council‚ Council for Scientific and Industrial Research as well as the National Research Foundation were the models of efficient public finance management.

Pandor said the departments and entities were making a sterling contribution to improving people’s lives through proper utilisation of public resources.

“I am sure you are aware that if we do the right thing with public finances‚ we then benefit the entire nation. If we do the wrong thing‚ we are denying someone the opportunity for their life to be better‚” she said.

Sports minister Fikile Mbalula received the Recognition of Clean Audit Opinion Award from the Auditor-General’s office‚ an award his ministry receives for the second time for an unqualified audit outcome.

“We received this award for the year 2013/14 and we are doing it again for 2014/15. We are commitment to good governance and to doing more with limited resources. Our attitude is that we can deliver to our people and account for every cent spent in line with the legal prescriptions. As a small department with limited capacity and resources‚ our staff have to work twice as much to ensure that we are compliant and to achieve this status” he said.

Mbalula said receiving an unqualified audit opinion was one thing‚ maintaining it was another.

“At Sport and Recreation South Africa we are receiving these opinions and maintaining them. We insist that this should be a way of life in government‚” he said.

Corporate executive at the Auditor-General’s office‚ Barry Wheeler‚ said to achieve a clean audit means one has got the financial statements correct‚ with no fault in the basics of accounting.

“When I say no fault it does not mean there are no internal control weaknesses that may still exist. It means that there is no material error that has been identified in terms of accounting standards in the international standards of auditing to state that the financial statements fairly represent and present the financial statements during the year‚” he said.