South Africa’s Department of Sport, Arts and Culture, led by Minister Gayton McKenzie, is facing renewed scrutiny after the Auditor-General flagged R67 million in irregular expenditure during the 2025/26 financial year.
According to Daily Investor, the latest findings have raised concerns about financial controls, accountability and the department’s ability to address longstanding spending irregularities.
The Auditor-General also warned that the actual amount could be higher, as some entities under the department failed to fully account for their irregular expenditure.
R67 Million Flagged Despite Financial Reforms
The findings come after McKenzie outlined several measures intended to strengthen financial management within his department.
Responding to a parliamentary question from MP Sithembile Nkosi, McKenzie said the department had introduced stricter supply chain management controls and improved its internal auditing processes.
He also confirmed that an audit action plan had been developed to identify previous shortcomings and outline corrective measures.
However, the Auditor-General found that progress remained slow.
In the previous 2024/25 financial year, the department reported R10.43 million in irregular expenditure, while the Auditor-General identified R42 million.
That figure increased to R67 million in 2025/26.
R839 Million Still Unresolved
The latest findings also revealed a substantial historical balance of irregular expenditure.
The department’s outstanding balance decreased from R861 million to R839 million during the administration’s term.
However, only 16% of the 2023/24 balance and 5% of the 2024/25 balance had been addressed by the end of the latest financial year.
The Auditor-General warned that these figures could also be understated.
Robben Island Among Entities Flagged
The Mandela Bay Theatre Complex and Robben Island Museum were unable to fully quantify their irregular expenditure.
The audit findings also identified R1.68 million in fruitless and wasteful expenditure across 11 entities.
A separate material irregularity involved departmental transfer payments that were not used for their intended purposes, resulting in an estimated R7.5 million loss.
Other concerns included delayed debt collection, late payments to creditors and weaknesses in financial oversight.
Growing Questions Over Accountability
The findings have renewed attention on financial management within McKenzie’s department.
While irregular expenditure does not automatically indicate corruption or stolen funds, it points to spending that did not comply with applicable financial rules.
McKenzie has previously outlined corrective measures, but the latest audit findings indicate that significant financial and governance challenges remain unresolved.