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CIGFARO Conference Hones In On Leadership
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Date: 2021-10-03 22:35:07

CIGFARO Conference Hones In On Leadership

PRESS STATEMENT
 
For Immediate Release
 
08/10/2019
 
CIGFARO Conference Hones In On Leadership
 
Over 1500 delegates have descended on Durban to attend the milestone 90th Chartered Institute of Government Finance, Audit and Risk Officers (CIGFARO) Conference at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre. The three-day conference carries an apt theme, “Transformational Leadership in the Public Sector.”
 
CIGFARO is a professional body of Municipal finance officials from all over South Africa to guide each other in providing effective financial accounting advice, setting and maintaining high financial standards and controls in public finance and governance.
 
The conference seeks to bring professionals together to discuss and find solutions to challenges that plague some Municipalities who struggle to receive positive audit outcomes, while also recognising those that excel. It also addresses the increasing pressure for municipalities and government departments to perform better and for the public sector finance industry to become more professionalised.
 
Deputy Mayor Belinda Scott said that leaders are those that make a positive difference to the community that they serve and this must be the trait of every finance officer. “Great leaders such as Tata Madiba, Mahatma Gandhi, and Mother Teresa all had a higher value and purpose that they aspired to. This is to reduce poverty, unemployment and inequality, and ultimately uplift the quality of life of all our people.”
 
The Deputy Mayor was also firm on the point that in the current economic climate, it must not be business as usual. “With the huge service delivery and economic challenges we currently face, also comes huge opportunities for growth, and as transformational leaders an opportunity to change the way that we do business.”
 
President of CIGFARO and the City’s Head of Revenue Management, Peet du Plessis said: “We must be brought back to basics of what is our role as public servants. We need leaders to steer South Africa to become successful and to ensure we become an economic force on this continent and in the world.”
 
He added that although strong systems are in place, government continually face fiscal management challenges. “We still have irregular expenditure, fraud and corruption. Accordingly, we need transformational leadership to address the problems we face.”
 
Minister of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma said that the local government sphere is where the impact is felt the most. “Any successes or failures of government are most likely to be felt at a local government level. The local sphere also has a developmental role to play which must include the involvement of communities and community organisations, including cooperatives.”
 
The Minister said that they have developed a District Development Model, which requires all spheres of government to plan and implement together at the level of the District. This will require a developmental local government which will play a central role in representing communities, protecting human rights and meeting basic needs.
 
Over the next three days, the delegates will be exposed to information from leaders such as Kimi Makwetu, Auditor-General of South Africa, Chief Financial Officer of eThekwini Municipality, Dr Krish Kumar, Lucky Leseane from SALGA and a host of other professionals and captains of industry. An exhibition is running concurrently with the conference, providing delegates with a crucial networking opportunity.
 
ENDS
 
Issued by the eThekwini Municipality’s Communications Unit. For media enquiries contact Msawakhe Mayisela on 060 966 4220