Rot in Tshwane covered up

The City of Tshwane’s former ANC administration had masked fraud committed by two senior Emergency Services officials a forensic report leaked to the Pretoria News, has shown. Picture: Oupa Mokoena

The City of Tshwane’s former ANC administration had masked fraud committed by two senior Emergency Services officials a forensic report leaked to the Pretoria News, has shown. Picture: Oupa Mokoena

Published Jan 13, 2017

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Pretoria – The former ANC city administration kept a forensic report under wraps which recommended the suspension of the two most senior officials in the Tshwane Emergency Services.

Insiders told the Pretoria News that the damning report remained a secret, thus no action was taken against head of emergency services, Joan de Beer, or acting director Eric Nonyane.

The pair were accused of colluding to process Nonyane’s fraudulent overtime claims.

Six other senior officials who questioned why no action had been taken against De Beer were suspended in December – a move believed to have crippled emergency services in the city.

De Beer and Nonyane were found to have colluded in processing fraudulent overtime claims, a forensic report – leaked to the Pretoria News this week – shows.

The forensic report was triggered by the illegal overtime claims submitted four years ago and compiled by investigators at the Group Audit and Risk Department within the city in 2015.

The probe followed a complaint to the forensic services from the Emergency Service Department: Medical Service Division.

In terms of the complaint, Nonyane had claimed for overtime alleged to be fraudulent. Nonyane is the ambulance superintendent at the emergency services.

One of the questionable overtime claims was submitted for Nonyane’s attendance at a meeting about preparations for the funeral of late president Nelson Mandela.

The report said Nonyane attended the pre-funeral meeting at 9am on December 8, 2013.

However, he claimed overtime from 6am to 6pm without citing any explanation for the discrepancy.

“De Beer signed the overtime claims for Nonyane without verifying if the hours claimed were actually worked,” the report said.

Nonyane’s overtime claims were made mainly for weekends, and excessive hours – of between 10 and 12 a day on Saturdays and Sundays – were claimed and processed.

The alleged fraudulent activities took place between 2013 and 2014 and cost the city an R149 678. The money had not been recovered.

Nonyane was eventually subjected to a disciplinary hearing, but vindicated after an intervention from his lawyer, it was stated.

However, De Beer was never subjected to the same disciplinary hearing processes, city insiders said, despite the recommendation that the two be charged with fraud together.

The report also recommended the suspension of the two as a result of their link in the alleged fraudulent activity.

Nonyane’s acquittal was despite evidence that he failed to pitch up at some meetings he was scheduled to attend.

“There is evidence that some of the meetings that Nonyane had claimed overtime for were held during normal working hours,” the report found.

Part of the suspension letters of the six other senior officials read: “It is hereby confirmed that your services are suspended with effect from December 6 in accordance with the Municipal Systems Act 32 of 2000. The suspension may be lifted at an earlier date subject to the outcome of your disciplinary hearing.”

However, the letters didn’t specify the nature of the transgressions committed by the officials or reasons for their suspensions.

Executive mayor Solly Msimanga had just learnt about the report when the Pretoria News contacted him for comment on Thursday.

“I have immediately instructed the acting city manager (Lindiwe Kwele) to launch an investigation into what had transpired since the report was compiled,” he said.

Msimanga said the matter was brought to his attention by the complainants, who claimed they were suspended after they questioned why De Beer was not subjected to the same disciplinary hearing as Nonyane.

The mayor expressed regret that the matter had not been followed up since the report was released. “It does look like somebody had taken steps to address the findings of the report,” he said.

After he was informed about the suspensions, he instructed Kwele to find out if there were grounds for lifting the officials' suspension.

“If there are no grounds for suspensions then they should be immediately reinstated.”

Pretoria News

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