Making public sector accountability easier to understand
AGSA EDUCATION CAMPAIGN
Making public sector accountability easier to understand
19 August 2026
SABC Education and the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) have partnered on a 13-week educational radio campaign aimed at bringing public accountability closer to South Africans. The campaign launched on 17 August 2026 – a year which also marks the AGSA’s 115 years of existence and public auditing and celebrates this milestone as the supreme audit institution of the country.
Understanding the role of the AGSA
Established on 12 May 1911, the AGSA has evolved from a small team in a nondescript building to an institution with a national office, an office in each of the nine provinces and a team of over 4000. Today, South Africa’s supreme audit institution is an independent chapter 9 institution. The AGSA audits and reports on how public resources are managed across government, providing insights that enables Parliament, legislatures, councils and citizens to hold public representatives accountable.
Making public accountability part of everyday conversations
Terms such as auditing, irregular expenditure, compliance, financial management and accountability can often feel technical and complex. The AGSA Education Campaign aims to make these concepts easier to understand by connecting them to the impact they have on the lives of citizens and the management of taxpayers’ money.
At the heart of the campaign is a simple question: “What does the Auditor-General’s work mean for me?” Through accessible educational content, audiences will learn what the AGSA does, why its work matters and how its findings relate to public institutions and the communities they serve.
What the campaign aims to achieve
• Educate the public about the AGSA’s mandate, responsibilities and independence.
• Demystify public-sector auditing by translating technical concepts into accessible language.
• Connect public spending and financial management to communities, public services and everyday life.
• Strengthen public awareness of transparency and accountability and the role citizens can play.
• Mark AGSA’s 115-year milestone by reflecting on its contribution to public accountability.
• Make public-sector accountability information accessible to audiences across different languages, communities and regions.
Taking the conversation across the airwaves
The campaign will run for 13 weeks across 13 SABC radio stations, using platforms that are part of audiences’ everyday routines. The participating stations are Ikwekwezi FM, Lesedi FM, Ligwalagwala FM, Lotus FM, Motsweding FM, Munghana Lonene FM, Phalaphala FM, Radio 2000, RSG, SA FM and Thobela FM, Umhobo Wenene FM and Ukhozi FM.
The national and multilingual reach of the SABC radio portfolio provides an unmatched opportunity to engage diverse South African audiences while making public-sector accountability more familiar, relevant and accessible.
From 115 years of history to a future of accountability
The AGSA’s 115-year milestone is an opportunity to reflect on its continued role in strengthening public sector accountability and supporting South Africa’s constitutional democracy. Its over 1000 annual audits cover national and provincial government, municipalities and other public institutions, providing insights that supports oversight and accountability.
What audiences can expect
Throughout the campaign, audiences can expect educational content that explores public auditing, accountability and public-sector financial management in an accessible and engaging way. The campaign will also introduce audiences to the people and processes behind public-sector auditing and show why understanding public finances matters to everyone. It aims to open the doors of the AGSA and allow audiences to better understand its work and role in furthering the democracy of the country.
A partnership built around public education
The partnership brings together the AGSA’s expertise in public-sector auditing and accountability together with SABC Education’s ability to communicate public-interest information to audiences across the country. Together, the campaign moves beyond simply reporting audit outcomes to helping audiences understand what those outcomes mean, why they matter and how they connect to the public interest.
A conversation that belongs to everyone
Public accountability affects every South African. Public institutions use public resources to provide services and deliver on government priorities, while the AGSA’s work helps to illuminate insights that show whether those resources are being managed responsibly and optimally and whether institutions are meeting expected standards that help create a better South Africa for all its citizens.
115 years on, the conversation continues — because understanding how public money is managed is everyone’s business.
To read more about the work of AGSA and to access their general reports, visit www.agsa.co.za.
