“Internal Audit is a department that serves the municipality by providing independent and objective advice to assist the municipality to achieve its objectives”.
These were the words of the newly appointed internal auditor of Bergrivier Municipality, Zander Wiese, who assumed office as of Friday, 1 November. Wiese says good leadership coupled with good internal audit services results in effective service delivery and unqualified or clean audit opinions.
Wiese (34) was born in Montagu in 1989 and is from in Ashton in the Langeberg Municipal area.
He obtained a few qualifications which include a BA Degree in 2011 at the University of Stellenbosch, a Diploma and Post-graduate professional qualification in Internal Auditing (2018 and 2021) through the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIASA). He has more than nine years’ experience in both internal audit and risk management, of which about half of it was in a supervisory capacity (senior internal auditor). On various occasions, he also acted as the head of internal audit at a local authority. He also served as an audit committee member for a short period of time, and in 2022, it culminated in him being nominated as one of the best internal auditors in South Africa in two categories, namely: “Excellence in the Public Sector” and “Young Internal Auditor of the year”.
Wiese says internal auditing is a highly specialised field and emphasised that all governmental institutions must have such expertise within their structure, to provide independent and objective advice on matters related to governance, risk management and control processes.
“At Bergrivier Municipality, my vision for this section is to become one of the best run sections within the local government sphere. We want to provide value-added services to the municipality, and ultimately to the benefit of the community,” said Wiese.
Upon entering the Bergrivier municipal area for the first time, Wiese was stunned to see how neatly kept Piketberg is and was quite impressed by the incredible achievements of Bergrivier Municipality.
Wiese leads an active lifestyle and in his spare time, enjoys cycling, going to the gym and travelling. He lives by the quote: “In God we trust, everyone else should be audited”.
Bergrivier Municipality wishes him well in his new position as internal auditor. “We know he will be a huge asset and add a lot of value to the organisation and the communities we serve,” the municipality says.
