Cape Town - President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed five proclamations to authorise the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to probe two departments, two state entities and a municipality.
Ramaphosa authorised the SIU to probe the affairs of the national Department of Health and the provincial Health Departments after allegations were made as to the affairs of the institutions.
He said the institutions may have suffered losses that may be recovered.
“I deem it necessary that the said allegations should be investigated and civil proceedings emanating from such investigations should be adjudicated upon.”
Ramaphosa ordered that the SIU probe unlawful conduct by claimants or their agents of civil action for relief against the institutions for medical negligence claims that were fraudulent.
The terms of reference of the investigation include serious maladministration in connection with the affairs of the departments, improper conduct of officials, unlawful appropriation of public money which took place between January 2013 and the date of publication of the proclamation on July 22.
Ramaphosa also authorised the SIU to probe the procurement of goods, works and services on behalf of the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa) in three provinces.
The SIU will probe the procurement of blankets by the KwaZulu-Natal regional office during between April 2016 and September 2016 and medical goods procured within the Gauteng region during the same period.
The corruption-busting body will also probe a cleaning tender, and refurbishment of the Sassa offices in the Eastern Cape.
Ramaphosa said allegations had been made in connection with the affairs of the South African Council of Educators (SACE).
He said the SIU would probe “the procurement for and acquisition of the commercial property described as Erf 638, situated at 33 beacon Bay Drive, East London, by the SACE.”
The investigation will cover the period between January 2019 and the publication of the proclamation.
The president also said the SIU will also probe serious maladministration within the Transport Department in KwaZulu-Natal.
“The department incurred irregular expenditure and fruitless and wasteful expenditure as identified by Auditor-general South Africa in the financial management reports dated March 2019 and March 2021.”
He said the SIU would probe the procurement of and contracting for a fibre data link to the department’s Information Technology Server Room at Inkosi Mhlabunzima Maphumulo House and payment made in a manner contrary to applicable legislation and instructions issued by the National Treasury.
Ramaphosa added that the SIU should probe any unlawful or irregular conduct by employees of the department or any other person for the fruitless expenditure and procurement of the fibre data link.
The president said the SIU would also investigate the Newcastle Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal after allegations were made in connection with its affairs.
The terms of reference for the Newcastle Municipality cover the period from January 2018.
The SIU will cover various tenders, including consultancy work for revenue management and supply chain management solutions, delivery of batteries and battery chargers and refurbishment of steel pipeline.
Ramaphosa said part of the investigation would be contracts awarded to persons in the service of state, payments made to fictitious employees, fruitless and wasteful expenditure incurred a s result of late payments made to Eskom and VAT to SARS as well as salary payments made to former employees after they left the employ of the Newcastle municipality.
Cape Times