Auditor�General (AG)
14 November 2006
CAPE TOWN - Parliament has today announced the appointment of Terence
Nombembe as the new Auditor-General with effect from 1 December 2006.
Nombembe replaces Shauket Fakie whose retires at the end of November this
year. Before his appointment Nombembe was the Deputy Auditor-General for over
five years. His term of office will be seven years.
Nombembe is the first African to hold the position of Auditor-General in
South Africa in the history of the organisation's 95 years. Born in Qumbu in
the Eastern Cape, Nombembe graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from the
University of Transkei in 1982. He started his career as a trainee accountant
with KPMG in Umtata in 1983. In 1986 he completed his BCompt (Honours) at the
University of South Africa. He left KPMG in 1987 and joined Unilever in Durban
as an internal auditor and later as an accountant in the Lipton Tea and Soup
factory in Pietermaritzburg.
He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1990. He then joined BP Southern
Africa (BPSA) in Cape Town in 1991 as senior internal auditor. While with BP,
Nombembe joined BP Botswana in Gaborone as finance manager in 1994. He returned
to BPSA in Cape Town as market research manager in 1996. In 1997, he helped
establish and was a partner-in-charge of auditing firm Gobodo Incorporated in
Cape Town where he initiated the establishment of Gobodo Corporate Governance
Services, an internal audit division which operates nationally with regional
offices in Cape Town and Pretoria.
Says Nombembe: "I am humbled by the confidence President Mbeki and the
national Parliament have shown in me to lead this important institution in our
democracy. With the backing of my team, I am up to the challenge. I am equally
excited about my new role and the contribution my office will continue to make
to strengthen our country's democracy. We know there will be challenges but we
have already set a solid foundation. My predecessor Shauket Fakie was
instrumental in helping set up that foundation � credibility, independence and
transparency. Our task is to protect these gains and take the organisation to
even greater heights.
"We operate in a constantly transforming and developing country. To be
relevant in such a changing environment, my office is continuously redefining
itself to meet challenges presented by change. For example, to make a
meaningful impact we had to first acknowledge that public sector auditing is
more challenging and different from private sector auditing. Public sector
audits go beyond merely expressing an opinion on the financial statements. When
we audit the public sector, we also comment on the effectiveness of key
management processes and give feedback on compliance with laws and regulations.
This qualitative approach enables public sector managers to better understand
the financial impact of the identified problems and assists in helping them to
prioritise the corrective actions. This is how we add value and help improve
public sector financial management and our contribution to service
delivery."
Nombembe says his office will continue to help unearth and groom young
chartered accountants and financial managers who will, in turn, use their
acquired skills to help boost and continue upgrading the public sector
financial management systems.
"South Africa is a rich mine of young, bright and talented youths. It is our
task to help unearth and polish this latent talent. Through our trainee
accountant scheme we have started that search, and we are going to all corners
of the country looking for future auditors and auditor-generals who will take
over from us and continue helping our country manage its public resources
effectively."
Says outgoing Auditor-General, Shauket Fakie: "With a leader like Terence at
the helm, I know and am confident the Auditor-General is in capable and safe
hands. During the time we have closely worked together, he struck me as a
visionary who is prepared to motivate and work closely with his team to achieve
our common vision of delivering efficient service to our stakeholders. I am
confident he will protect the gains we have made in transforming the office �
maintaining the independence of the office through integrity, transparency and
accountability; help consolidate the development plans we have put in place;
and add his distinctive leadership touch when directing the dedicated team of
professionals behind the office's continued success."
Nombembe is married to Nokwanda and has three children, Mphiwa, Fezekile and
Kamvalethu.
Enquiries:
Africa Boso
Tel: (012) 426 8273
Cell: 082 8899 527
E-mail:africab@agsa.co.za
Issued by: Auditor�General of South Africa
14 November 2006
Source: Auditor�General of South Africa (http://www.agsa.co.za)
