Maseru __ Public trust is emphasised by the media as the cornerstone of democratic governance which needs to be demonstrated through transparency and accountability.

This, transpired at the 17th Annual Conference and 21st Annual General Meeting of the Southern African Organisation of Public Accounts Committees (SADCOPAC) held at Manthabiseng Convention Centre from Monday under the theme" Promoting Public Trust through Active Citizen Engagement in Oversight, Processes".

In his presentation, the Chairperson of Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)-Lesotho Mr. Kananelo Boloetse said there is need for citizens to see how public funds are raised, spent, and audited so that they could trust the system, saying if information is hidden, delayed or ignored, mistrust grows, and democracy weakens.

He indicated that the Constitution and Financial Laws provide a clear framework for accountability thus financial reports should be made available to Parliament, Media and public as soon as possible although that is not always the case.

He therefore urged Parliament to assert its authority and demand the tabling of all outstanding annual reports from government ministries, departments and public enterprises.

Sharing the same sentiments African Parliamentary Press Network-Lesotho Chapter, Mr. Nkoale Ts'oana said Journalists, through factual and timely reporting expose misuse of public funds and highlighlight positive outcomes of oversight, saying citizens engagement must go beyond elections or protests rather, be a continuous process of participation through information and dialogue.

He therefore called on Public Accounts Committees (PAC) and Supreme Audit Institutions to strengthen collaboration with the media.

He also proposed that there should be joint capacity building workshops, and knowledge sharing platforms between Journalists, PAC and Communication Officers amongst others to ensure that oversight information reaches every Mosotho thus empowering citizens to demand accountability and transparency.

The conference saw participation of 149 delegates from Burundi, Mauritius, Ethiopia, Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Ghana, Kenya, Eswatini, Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Lesotho.

SADCOPAC was launched in October 2003, South Africa and aims to amongst others, build capacity and expertise among member states to diligently and efficiently carry out their oversight functions and duties, improve the effectiveness of PACs or similar committees in the SADC region as well as to work with the governments and their relevant role players in meeting the people's expectations of sound and accountable governance.