Duties of custodians of public funds and property

308 Duties of custodians of public funds and property (1) In this section— “public funds” includes any money owned or held by the State or any institution or agency of government, including provincial and local tiers of government, statutory bodies and government-controlled entities; “public property” means any property owned or held by the State or any institution or agency of government, including provincial and local tiers of government, statutory bodies and government-controlled entities. (2) It is the duty of every person who is responsible for the expenditure of public funds to safeguard the funds and ensure that they are spent only on legally authorised purposes and in legally authorised amounts. (3) It is the duty of every person who has custody or control of public property to safeguard the property and ensure that it is not lost, destroyed, damaged, misapplied or misused. (4) An Act of Parliament must provide for the speedy detection of breaches of subsections (2) and (3) and the disciplining and punishment of persons responsible for any such breaches and, where appropriate, the recovery of misappropriated funds or property. AupbITOR-GENERAL