Parliament� The Standing Committee on the Auditor-General has condemned, with strongest possible terms, threats to the officials of the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) by unknown individuals from Emfuleni, Tshwane, Madibeng and Moretele Municipalities.

This after the Auditor-General, Mr Kimi Makwetu, wrote to the committee, in which he detailed a series of threats to the lives of officials of the AGSA who are assigned to the four municipalities.

The committee has implored the individuals concerned to desist from their criminal conduct immediately.

The Chairperson of the committee, Ms Nthabiseng Khunou, said that anyone found to be obstructing the work of the AGSA should be criminally charged and face the full might of the law.

We call on the law enforcement agencies to fully investigate sources of the threats and bring them to book. Parliament, provincial legislatures and municipal councils rely heavily on the audited financial statements by the AGSA in order to effectively hold the Executive accountable. An attack on the officials of the AGSA has indirect negative impact on the work of the legislative sector, said Ms Khunou.

The committee has appealed to the authorities at the four municipalities to fully cooperate with law enforcement agencies during the investigations.

Ms Khunou said the committee will work closely with the Portfolio Committees on Police as well as Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs to get an update on the progress of the investigations.

The committee will also invite Mr Makwetu to get a full briefing on the extent to which these threats have impacted on the work of the AGSA and what security measures are put in place to protect the affected employees.

Source: Parliament of the Republic of South Africa