Makhura in bid to recover R800m

Premier David Makhura File picture: Supplied

Premier David Makhura File picture: Supplied

Published Dec 7, 2016

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Johannesburg – Gauteng Premier David Makhura has laid criminal charges against the former head of the Department of Sport, Namhla Siqaza, in his bid to recover more than R800 million in tenders awarded improperly.

Last week, Makhura fired Siqaza after an internal disciplinary hearing found that she and two other officials, Morwesi More and Lorraine Nuku, tried to bribe two officials of the Auditor-General’s office to give her department a clean-audit report.

The three wanted the AG’s officials to doctor their report by claiming that all the tenders worth R800m were properly awarded to credible companies, but they refused.

On Tuesday, Makhura, while tabling his political report in the legislature, said his government had instituted legal proceedings to recover the money from officials and also opened a criminal case against Siqaza and officials implicated in those tenders.

Makhura did not give details of the criminal charges against her, but The Star understands it relates to her personal involvement in the awarding of a R246m tender to Clear Choice to build a provincial archives centre in Kagiso in Mogale City.

It is alleged that Clear Choice scored the lowest, but Siqaza overturned the decision of the bid adjudication committee and appointed the company, which allegedly has close political connections.

The R246m contract to Clear Choice was awarded on the same day former MEC Molebatsi Bopape was appointed as MEC in that department, and signalled the beginning of tension between Siqaza and the then newly appointed Bopape.

Various other tenders, which include the construction of libraries and tenders in the Sport, Arts, Culture and Recreation Department, were also improperly awarded by various officials in that department. More was the head of procurement at the time.

Troubles for Siqaza and other officials began in July 2015 when they became aware that the AG’s office had raised serious concerns about a number of irregularities in the issuing of tenders, including major arts and culture projects, in the department’s financial audit report of 2014/15.

The AG’s concerns revolved around the appointment of contractors who did not qualify to obtain tenders worth millions of rand because they scored lower points than the successful tenderers.

The AG also pointed out that some of these contractors were not even registered with the Construction Industry Development Board. Due to the AG’s audit outcome, The Star understands that the then MEC, Bopape, wrote to all senior managers, urging them to accept the audit outcome, but Siqaza and the alleged conspirators ignored the instructions.

Siqaza, More and Nuku had on various occasions in July 2015 approached two officials of the AG’s office the next day and allegedly made offers for them to alter their audit findings. In one of the affidavits written by the AG officials, they said Siqaza told one senior official who was responsible for the final compilation of the audit – to alter the audit finding or she would “request political intervention” for him to do so.

More allegedly summoned another AG official to a meeting place where she told the official “to convince his boss to alter the audit come”.

The officials, according to affidavits, were told that the “contractors were ready” to pay AG officials whatever amount they wanted.

“As part of our commitment to clean government, we have instituted disciplinary proceedings against 125 officials who were involved in financial misconduct, including HoDs. To date, two HoDs have been dismissed for serious acts of misconduct.”

The Star

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