Internal Audit Awareness Month: In conversation with UCT’s Bahijah Hashim

The month of May marks international Internal Audit Awareness Month, and the University of Cape Town (UCT) has joined the celebration. UCT’s Office of Internal Audit is a crucial arm of the university’s operating structure and plays a fundamental role in providing independent assurance consulting to university departments, to add value and improve overall operations.

Internal Audit Awareness Month forms part of a long tradition that started in the early 1990s and was spearheaded by the Institute for Internal Auditors. It aims to shine a spotlight on the vital role internal audit plays and the value it provides to organisations. UCT News spoke to Bahijah Hashim, the director of the university’s Office of Internal Audit, for insight into the role her office plays within the institution. The office was established by the UCT Council as a service to the university’s management and the University Audit and Risk Committee (UARC).

Niémah Davids (ND): What is the significance of Internal Audit Awareness Month?

Bahijah Hashim (BH): To promote the importance and value internal audits add to an organisation’s operations [and] to raise awareness [around] the profession and dispel any misconceptions.

ND: For the layman, explain what an internal audit entails.

BH: Internal audits assist management with optimising internal processes, and in our context, play an important role in UCT’s control environment and risk management. Our audits are designed in a way that we assess whether [departments] comply [with] university policies and procedures. Simply put, any process that you interact with can form part of an audit.

ND: Please unpack your office’s mandate.

“The office is an independent and objective consulting entity designed to add value and improve UCT’s operations.”

BH: The office is an independent and objective consulting entity designed to add value and improve UCT’s operations. We evaluate and recommend improvements that can be made to the university’s internal control structure and prioritise these efforts by continuously facilitating an objective risk assessment. This allows the university to grow and adapt to changing conditions, while also optimising business processes.

ND: Why are internal audits important?

BH: They provide independent assurance that UCT’s management, governance and internal control processes are operating efficiently and effectively. Our office reviews and assesses the effectiveness of UCT’s operations by identifying gaps and inefficiencies to mitigate risks. During this process, we also recommend introducing the necessary control processes that can help manage and/or eliminate those risks, eliminate duplication, improve productivity and reduce costs.

Our audits are designed in such a way that they encourage management to review processes and incorporate continuous improvements into their operations.