Premier blamed for illegal spend of R2.7bn

INL SA

Terence Nombembe. Picture: Phill Magakoe

Johannesburg - Auditor-General Terence Nombembe has blamed Limpopo Premier Cassel Mathale for not stamping his constitutional authority in monitoring and guiding his province.

This is contained in the province’s general audit report that Nombembe released this week.

The damning report reveals that the province has illegally spent R2.7 billion in paying salaries for employees and through the unlawful awarding of contracts and tenders. The R2.7bn irregular expenditure for the 2011/2012 financial year, up from last year’s R1.1bn, excludes the unexplained R739 million that the Health Department spent and which was probed by Nombembe.

The department claimed that documents relating to the multimillion-rand expenditure were missing. In his latest report, Nombembe said the constitution enjoins Mathale to conduct performance information oversight.

“However, the office of the premier and the provincial treasury did not perform some of the critical functions depicted in the framework for managing programme performance information (FMPPI), such as providing comprehensive guidance and assistance to departments and entities to enable them to manage their performance information, and monitoring and evaluating the performance information management,” said Nombembe.

The FMPPI is a national Treasury guideline towards compliance with regulations. Nombembe said high vacancy rates in the supply chain management (SCM) units compromised the province and that this created fertile ground for fraudulent activity in the awarding of contracts and tenders.

“There are no consequences taken against officials who deliberately or negligently do not comply with SCM prescripts. This sets a precedent that the leadership is tolerant of poor performance, which results in recurring findings on SCM,” said Nombembe.

He said none of the departments had scomplied with Treasury laws and regulations.

Nombembe expressed his frustrations at Mathale and his cabinet, saying he had raised the same concerns with the executive in the previous financial year.

The Star