KZN Public Works records first clean audit in department’s history

KwaZulu-Natal's Department of Public Works and Infrastructure has received the first clean audit in its history, according to the department and current SABC News reporting.

The department announced the result after the Auditor-General completed its latest audit. It said the finding marked a first for the provincial institution, which manages public property and delivers infrastructure work for other provincial departments.

Public Works and Infrastructure MEC Martin Meyer made a clean audit one of his priorities after taking office. The department said the result followed tighter financial controls and work to address previous audit findings.

A clean audit means the Auditor-General found the submitted financial statements and reported performance information free of material misstatements, with no material non-compliance identified in the areas tested.

The outcome does not measure the quality or completion of every construction and maintenance project. It records the Auditor-General's assessment of the department's financial and performance reporting and compliance controls for the audited period.

The result comes as KwaZulu-Natal departments and municipalities remain under scrutiny over procurement, infrastructure delivery and the management of public funds. Public Works is responsible for a large provincial property portfolio and supports the construction and maintenance of facilities used by government services.

The department's official 2026 media-release register describes the finding as its first clean audit and says it is backed by the Auditor-General's findings. SABC News also reported the announcement on Tuesday morning.

Meyer and the department will now be expected to sustain the control environment in the next audit cycle while continuing work on the province's infrastructure backlog.