Improving the Implementation of the Audit-General’s Recommendations in South African State-Owned Enterprises

The objective of this research was to evaluate the implementation of the Auditor-General’s recommendations regarding South African State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs). Emphasis was placed on two SOEs categorised as ‘significant risk’ entities according to the professional judgement of the AGSA. This study has been justified and necessitated by the need to understand the inefficiencies of SOEs regarding audit recommendations, particularly in significant risk SOEs such as Eskom and Transnet, and why the same problems are being repeatedly identified by the AGSA. The research methodology used in this study was qualitative, coupled with an extensive literature review and semi-structured interviews. Interviewees were selected using a purposive sampling method. The study found that factors that impact the implementation of audit recommendations include, a lack of available resources and time, the lack of audit recommendation implementation follow-ups, corruption within SOEs, the lack of consequences for transgressors, and unstable leadership, amongst others. The findings of the study revealed that there are recurring themes, such as governance and leadership issues, which can be explored by other researchers in future studies.