Auditor-General must urgently begin forensic audit of Basic Education budget amid revelations of mismanagement and neglect

Note to editors: the letter to the Auditor-General is attached here.

In light of the damning revelations that have emerged over the past 72 hours detailing rampant mismanagement, unpaid service providers, and widespread failures, Build One South Africa (BOSA) has today written to the Auditor-General, Ms. Tsakani Maluleke, requesting an urgent special forensic investigation into the Department of Basic Education’s (DBE) 2024/2025 budget expenditure.

BOSA’s request is made under Sections 5(1A), 5(2), and 5A of the Public Audit Act No. 25 of 2004, which empower the Auditor-General to initiate special audits or investigations on its own initiative where irregularities are suspected.

With Parliament about to deliberate on the national budget for 2025/2026, it would be reckless to approve another R300 billion for a department that has failed to account for how last year’s funds were spent, misspent and wasted.

“Every passing day brings a new scandal in our public education system including unpaid nutrition contractors, stranded learners, collapsing infrastructure, and chronic teacher shortages. This is not just inefficiency, it is a direct violation of children’s constitutional right to basic education,” said BOSA leader Mmusi Maimane.

Recent media reports have revealed the following:

• KwaZulu-Natal: A R2 billion nutrition scandal, with providers unpaid and millions of learners left hungry.
• Gauteng: Over 1 million learners affected by delayed nutrition contractor appointments.
• Eastern Cape & North West: Scholar transport operators remain unpaid since January, forcing children to walk unsafe distances.
• Western Cape: A R3.8 billion shortfall in teacher staffing and a 21% vacancy rate threaten academic stability.
• Northern Cape: A R358 million budget gap, crippling education delivery.

In this light, BOSA is calling for:

1. A full-scale, independent forensic audit into DBE’s 2024/2025 expenditure, including conditional grants, infrastructure funds, and provincial allocations.
2. The Auditor-General to use Section 5A powers to take binding remedial action and refer any misconduct for prosecution.

“The Auditor-General must step in now. Without a forensic audit and real consequences, the DBE will continue to waste billions while learners are robbed of their futures. Parliament cannot in good conscience pass another education budget until this mess is exposed and cleaned up,” Maimane said.

BOSA is ready to assist the Auditor-General with evidence, submissions, and further engagement to ensure that this investigation is conducted with the urgency and seriousness it deserves.