Despite Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s insistence that he is committed to rooting out corruption in the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG), many of the recommendations from the forensic investigations undertaken by various departments and entities have not been implemented.
The Gauteng Department of Economic Development is one of many departments where some entities have not implemented the recommendations of the forensic investigation.
This was revealed in a reply to the Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng’s questions tabled in the Gauteng Provincial Legislature to the MEC for Economic Development, Lebogang Maile.
The Gauteng Gambling Board (GGB) has failed to implement the recommendations of the investigation into procurement irregularities. The board is supposed to undergo training on the Supply Chain Management process. To date, this has not happened.
The investigation into the Sports Development Fund (SDF) and Corporate Social Investment (CSI) found that disciplinary action be taken by the accounting officer against the official that was responsible for the disbursement of R4 300 000,00 to a community development programme, had done so in contravention of a decision taken by the board in the 2017/2018 and an additional payment of R7 million in the 2019/202 financial year. No action was taken against the employee even though an administrator was appointed to implement the recommendation. This is because the employee had left the department.
Action was also meant to be taken against an employee for the disbursement of R14 million, contrary to the board resolution of R7 million in the 2019/2020 financial year. This did not happen again, as the employee left the department.
In the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller (GEP), two employees who were to be disciplined for fraudulently awarding the TEA tender did not face any consequence management, as they had left the entity.
See full reply here.
Financial misconduct deprives the province of valuable funds that could be used to enhance service delivery. Furthermore, to evade disciplinary action, they leave the department. This must not continue any longer.
The DA Gauteng will submit questions to the MEC to determine why disciplinary action against employees was not immediately implemented when misconduct arises. We will raise this issue through the Portfolio Committee of Economic Development, as it is unacceptable that millions of rands are lost through potentially corrupt activities, particularly through the entities in this province.
A DA-led Gauteng provincial government would immediately implement the recommendations of all forensic investigations. Where the implicated officials have left the employment of the department or entity, we will lay criminal charges against them and, where possible, engage the Asset Forfeiture Unit (AFU) to recoup the money lost through their unlawful actions. We would also ensure that disciplinary action does not take more than 90 days.