Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee Chairperson (PAC) Howard Kunda says the enactment of the Public Finance Management Act of 2018 has effectively helped in preventing the abuse of public resources.

And Kunda, who is also Secretary General of the Southern Africa Development Community Organisations of Public Committee (SADCOPAC), says government has made steady progress in curbing mismanagement of public resources.

Speaking at the SADCOPAC Training for Public Accounts Committees members held in Kempton Park, South Africa, Kunda said the enactment of the Public Finance Management Act had also helped in correcting a lot of anomalies commonly cited in previous Auditor General’s Reports.

According to a statement issued by First Secretary for Press and Public Relations at the High Commission in South Africa Naomi Nyawali, Kunda further said it was gratifying that some civil servants were cited for abusing public resources were dismissed and prosecuted.

Kunda also expressed happiness that the Act prescribed punishment for erring officers, and that it gave powers to his committees to summon public officers cited for abrogating the financial management regulations.

Kunda said the recent dismissal of accountants from the Ministry of General Education and the prosecution of other senior government officials signalled government’s determination to end mismanagement of public resources.

And he said SADCOPAC had helped its member-states to exchange knowledge and ideas on how to prevent mismanagement of public resources.