Portfolio committee slams Department of Women over R52m irregular expenditure - EWN

Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities has expressed concern over the regression in the audit outcome for the department for the 2025/26 financial year.

Chairperson Liezl van der Merwe said it was disappointing that the department tasked with protecting the country’s most vulnerable was failing to hold those accountable for an accumulated R52m in irregular expenditure.

Entities linked to the portfolio had not fared much better in their audits.

The National Youth Development Agency was in dispute with the Auditor General's office over its finances, while the Commission for Gender Equality had remained stagnant in its audit outcome for several years.

The Auditor-General's office said the Department of Women was in poor financial health, operating on a bank overdraft due to unauthorised expenditure.