OMBUD COUNCIL ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25

PART F: FINANCIAL INFORMATION

EXTERNAL AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE PARLIAMENT AND THE ACCOUNTING AUTHORITY OF OMBUD COUNCIL

REPORT ON THE AUDIT OF THE SEPARATE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

OPINION 1. We have audited the separate financial statements of the Ombud Council set out on pages 72 to 94 , which comprise the statement of financial position as at 31 March 2025, statement of financial performance, statement of changes in net assets, cash flow statement and statement of comparison of budget information with actual information for the year then ended 31 March 2025, as well as notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. 2. In our opinion, the separate financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Ombud Council as at 31 March 2025 and its and financial performance and separate cash flows for the year then ended in accordance with the Generally Recognised Accounting Practice and the requirements of the Public Finance Management Act. CONTEXT FOR OPINION 3. We conducted our audit in accordance with the International Standards on Auditing (ISAs). Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the separate financial statements section of our report. 4. We are independent of the Ombud Council in accordance with the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors’ Code of Professional Conduct for Registered Auditors of the (IRBA Code) and other independence requirements applicable to performing audits of financial statements in South Africa. We have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with the IRBA Code and in accordance with other ethical requirements applicable to performing audits in South Africa. The IRBA Code is consistent with the corresponding sections of the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants’ International Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants (including International Independence Standards) . 5. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. 6. In terms of the IRBA Rule on Enhanced Auditor Reporting for the Audit of Financial Statements of Public Interest Entities, published in Government Gazette No. 49309 dated 15 September 2023 (EAR Rule), we report: FINAL MATERIALITY 7. The scope of our audit was influenced by our application of materiality. An audit is designed to obtain reasonable assurance whether the financial statements are free from material misstatement. Misstatements may arise due to fraud or error, and they are considered material if individually or in aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of the separate financial statements. 8. Our determination of materiality is a matter of professional judgement and is affected by our perception and understanding of the financial information needs of intended users, which is the quantitative and qualitative factors that determine the level at which relevant decisions taken by users would be affected by a misstatement. These factors helped us to determine the scope of our audit and the nature, timing and extent of our audit procedures and to evaluate the effect of misstatements, both individually and in aggregate on the separate financial statements as a whole.

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OMBUD COUNCIL ANNUAL REPORT 2024/25