Home / Non-Accredited / Strategy, Risk, Governance & Compliance / Public Finance Management (PFMA) Training (2 days)
Quick Look Course Summary:Public Finance Management (PFMA) Training (2 days)
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Length: 2 day(s)
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Price (at your venue): 1 Person R 14,642 EX VAT 3 Person R 9,476 EX VAT 10 Person R 6,474 EX VAT
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Certification Type:Non-Accredited
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Locations & Venues: Off-site or in-house. We train in all major city centres throughout South Africa.
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Training Advice
Public Finance Management (PFMA) Training (2 days)
Public sector managers who understand their duties under the PFMA, control their budgets with confidence and keep irregular, unauthorised and wasteful spending off the audit report.
Spending by national and provincial departments and public entities is governed by the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA, Act 1 of 1999) and the Treasury Regulations. Year after year, audit outcomes show the same problems: irregular expenditure, fruitless and wasteful expenditure, weak budget control and late or unreliable reporting. Much of it starts with managers who control budgets but were never shown what the Act requires of them. This PFMA training closes that gap.
Day one sets out the framework: the constitutional principles for public finance and procurement, how public policy is made and turned into funded programmes, the PFMA and its counterpart for municipalities, the MFMA, the roles of executive authorities, accounting officers and accounting authorities, and good governance and ethical conduct in the public sector. Day two is the PFMA in practice: budgeting within the medium-term expenditure framework, monitoring spending against budget, explaining variances, the definitions and consequences of unauthorised, irregular and fruitless and wasteful expenditure, financial misconduct, internal control, and annual reporting and audit.
The course is practical. Delegates work through case studies based on typical audit findings, read a budget variance report and draft corrective measures for their own programme. It gives general guidance on the legislation and is not legal advice.
Why this course
For your organisation
- Managers who understand their delegated financial responsibilities
- Fewer cases of unauthorised, irregular and fruitless and wasteful expenditure
- Tighter budget monitoring and earlier corrective action
- Better preparation for internal and external audits
- A stronger culture of accountability and consequence management
For your delegates
- A plain-language understanding of the PFMA and Treasury Regulations
- Confidence to manage, monitor and defend a budget
- Clarity on what counts as irregular or wasteful expenditure and how to avoid it
- Practical tools for variance analysis and corrective action
What delegates will be able to do
- Explain the constitutional and legislative framework for public finance in South Africa
- Describe how public policy is made and how priorities become funded programmes
- Identify the responsibilities of executive authorities, accounting officers, accounting authorities and other officials under the PFMA
- Apply good governance and ethical principles to financial decisions
- Prepare and motivate a programme budget linked to operational objectives
- Monitor actual spending against budget, analyse variances and recommend corrective measures
- Distinguish unauthorised, irregular and fruitless and wasteful expenditure, and explain how each is dealt with
- Describe the internal control, reporting and audit requirements for a public institution
Who should attend
Programme and responsibility managers, budget holders, finance and supply chain staff, and senior and middle managers in national and provincial departments, public entities and constitutional institutions. Municipal officials who want to understand the PFMA alongside the MFMA, and private sector suppliers, consultants and auditors who work with the public sector, also benefit.
Course outline
Day 1 – The public finance framework
Public finance in the Constitution
- Chapter 13 of the Constitution: general financial matters
- Treasury control and budget principles
- Procurement principles: fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost-effective
- The basic values and principles of public administration in section 195
How public policy is made
- Policy-making structures at national, provincial and local level
- From the National Development Plan to departmental plans
- Strategic plans, annual performance plans and budgets
- Factors that shape policy in your sector
The PFMA and related legislation
- Purpose and scope of the PFMA
- Institutions covered: departments, public entities and constitutional institutions
- Treasury Regulations and National Treasury instructions
- The MFMA for municipalities and how it differs in outline
- Other legislation that affects financial management, including procurement law and the Division of Revenue Act
Roles and accountability
- Executive authorities, accounting officers and accounting authorities
- Delegations of financial authority
- Responsibilities of other officials
- Consequence management and financial misconduct
Governance and ethics in the public sector
- Principles of good governance in a public setting
- Ethical conduct, conflicts of interest and doing business with the state
- Risk management and internal control
- Case study: a governance failure in a public institution
Day 2 – The PFMA in practice
Budgeting
- The budget cycle and the medium-term expenditure framework
- Linking budgets to operational objectives and annual performance plans
- Identifying resources and internal and external constraints
- Forecasting and zero-based budgeting techniques
Monitoring and controlling spending
- Monthly monitoring of actual spending against budget
- Identifying and explaining variances
- Corrective measures, and virements in outline
- Cash flow and commitments
Unauthorised, irregular and fruitless and wasteful expenditure
- Definitions and practical examples of each
- How they arise in procurement, payroll and contracts
- Detecting, recording and reporting them
- Condonation, recovery and consequence management in outline
Financial reporting and audit
- Key concepts: the accounting cycle and financial reports
- Reading and analysing financial statements and in-year reports
- Annual reports and the Auditor-General's audit
- Responding to audit findings with an audit action plan
Practical application and close
- Exercise: a budget variance report for your programme
- Drafting corrective measures and recommendations
- Personal action plan
- Evaluation and close
How it is delivered
Two days, 08:30-16:00. In person at your offices anywhere in South Africa, at a BOTI venue, or live online. One delegate or a group of up to 20; examples tailored to your department or entity on request. Workbook, case studies and a variance report template included. We deliver it at your offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Cape Town and anywhere else in South Africa, at a BOTI venue in Johannesburg, or live online for teams in different places.
What our clients say
“All training sessions were well-coordinated, professionally delivered, and aligned with our scheduling requirements. We value the partnership and look forward to continued collaboration with Business Optimization Training Institute in the future.”
“All training programmes were delivered in a highly professional manner, with effective coordination and strict adherence to our scheduling requirements. The facilitators demonstrated a commendable level of expertise, and the quality of delivery consistently met our expectations.”
“The course was efficiently scheduled and planned around our timetable. We were impressed by the quality of training”
Frequently asked questions
Can you run this course at our department or entity?
Yes. Most public sector groups are trained on their own premises anywhere in South Africa; we can also host the course at a BOTI venue or deliver it live online.
How many officials can attend?
From one delegate to a group of about 20. The price per delegate drops as the group grows – see the price table, or ask us for a quote.
Is the course accredited?
No. It is a non-accredited short course, and delegates receive a BOTI certificate of attendance.
Can it be tailored to our institution?
Yes. Send us your delegations, budget format and recent audit findings, and the facilitator uses them in the exercises so managers practise on their own numbers and rules.
Does the course cover the MFMA?
The course is built on the PFMA and explains where the MFMA differs in outline. Municipal officials are welcome; ask us about an in-house session built around the MFMA.
Is this legal or audit advice?
No. The course gives practical, general guidance on the legislation. For a ruling on a specific case, consult your legal services, National or Provincial Treasury, or your auditors.
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