The recent financial report from the Chief Financial officer to the Budget, Treasury, and IDP (BTI) portfolio committee presented a summary of the banking of consolidated takings which included cashier shortages and surpluses.
The recent financial report from the Chief Financial officer to the Budget, Treasury, and IDP (BTI) portfolio committee presented a summary of the banking of consolidated takings which included cashier shortages and surpluses.
Chief Financial Officer, Jackson Ngcelwane said, “This must be viewed as being transparent on how we do our business and as an effort to address an issue appearing in the municipal audit report of 2008/09 where the Auditor-General indicated that the municipality was not making any means of collecting shortages caused by cashiers,” he said.
He added that it was also a way to illustrate to the portfolio committee the actions taken in cases of shortages. Ngcelwane said that the report on shortages was compiled after procedure guidelines on cashiering were developed and tabled to the portfolio committee in March.
The report illustrated cashier shortages in the July 2009 to March 2010 period amounting to R1 800 from a total amount of about R169 million in receipts; and a total surplus of about R900.
During the BTI portfolio committee meeting, ANC Councillor, Thandeka Veliti questioned whether the causes of the shortages were identified.
“It must frustrate the cashiers that there are deductions taken from them for the short ages,” Veliti said. Assistant Director of Revenues Collection, Luvuyo Sizani responded that it was difficult to identify the causes.
He said that there was a plan in place to have one-onone sessions with the cashiers to find out the possible reasons.
“There are certain times when they are busy, such as pension times,” Sizani said, indicating a possible cause for the shortages and surpluses. Ngcelwane also responded to Veliti that salary deductions are made only after investigations are dealt with.
Ngcelwane said shortages occur when one handles hard cash on a daily basis. “As you can see with receipts of about R169-million for nine months period reported in the agenda, there is an amount of R1 800 error.
While it is not acceptable, it is a fraction of the total receipts. The important thing is that shortages are paid back after investigations,” he said.
