Q& A • A K HIL E
A prime partner to the
public sector
Akhile Management and Consulting provides leading financial advisory services to the public sector. CEO Aneel Radhakrishna discusses the solutions making a difference to government and the lives of South Africa’s citizens.
What advisory services does Akhile specialise in? Akhile boasts a team of dedicated consultants that specialise in the spheres of local, provincial and national government with a focus on financial advisory services, such as: • asset management • budgeting and financial planning • debt and indigent management • fi nancial statement preparation and audit support • financial management and accounting • tariff and sustainability modelling • mSCOA implementation and support •m unicipal recovery and turnaround (MFMA Chapter 13) • municipal viability and sustainability (MST) • contract and cost optimisation • revenue management and assurance • big data analytics • business process modelling, systems analysis and planning • systems development and support • modern-workplace hybrid working and cloud enablement • resource augmentation.
Our services are customised to suit our clients’ needs, draw on best practice and our vast municipal experience, and increasingly include digital, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) capabilities. In what capacity has Akhile worked with the City of Tshwane? Akhile has implemented an asset management project for the City of Tshwane, which commenced in 2018 and is the first of its kind in the country. The forward-thinking and innovative project delivered a GRAP- and mSCOA-compliant asset register for the City for all categories of assets, among other deliverables. The project was not only important from an mSCOA and GRAP compliance perspective, but has also facilitated the following key outcomes for the City to the benefit of its citizens: • keeping track of all assets including location, use, history, condition and value • understanding the capabilities of assets and how they can be operated in the most effective manner – thereby achieving effective operations and optimising revenue • supporting risk management • optimising operations
including planning, budgeting and resource use. The above directly impact the City’s ability to improve service delivery for citizens and achieve service delivery and financial sustainability through informed decision-making. What are some of the most common challenges facing municipalities in ensuring effective service delivery? Can your company help make a difference on the ground, in this regard? Municipalities operate in a highly complex and diverse ecosystem. In our experience, some of the common challenges facing municipalities across South Africa include sustainability, a capacitated workforce, reliable and effective systems and processes, ageing infrastructure, as well as socio-economic and governance challenges. This all results in service delivery and financial challenges. While we are able to support
municipalities to address these challenges, we understand that each is unique and highly integrated. Therefore, any initiatives to be implemented must be done from a base of accurate and up-to-date data, as well as the willingness to implement workable solutions. Akhile, therefore, has a holistic approach to ensure that government, business and citizens are all aligned, with a focus on how the municipality is enabled to
REIGNITING EXCELLENCE IN TSHWANE 2021
13
