SIU is not investigating Ramaphosa, says Presidency as 18 officials fired for Covid-19 PPE corruption

President Cyril Ramaphosa is not under investigation by the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) for any matters.

However, nearly 20 government officials have been dismissed in relation to corruption involving Covid-19 personal protective equipment (PPE).

Presidency and SIU officials on Wednesday briefed Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) regarding various investigations.

Presidency on SIU’s PPE corruption investigations

MPs received an update on the outcomes of 297 disciplinary recommendations related to Covid-19 PPE corruption cases across various government departments and entities.

Of these cases, 190 have been resolved, with 98 officials found guilty and 25 acquitted.

According to the Presidency, 29 officials were not charged, 27 resigned, six completed their contracts, three passed away, and two retired.

Jonathan Timm, a presidency official, detailed sanctions for those found guilty, including seven suspensions without pay, one demotion, 33 final written warnings, and one referral for counselling.

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Eighteen officials were dismissed, among them two municipal managers from the Cederberg and JB Marks Municipalities, as well as three CFOs—including one from the Department of Correctional Services—eight senior managers and two middle managers.

He further disclosed that the SIU has referred 304 recommendations for criminal prosecution to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) as part of the Covid-19 investigation.

“A total of 70 guilty convictions have been handed down since June 2021 as a result of the investigations into Covid-19-related matters.”

Watch the meeting below:

Timm informed the committee that, as of 31 October, none of the 51 companies implicated in the SIU investigation have been blacklisted on the National Treasury’s database, meaning they are still eligible to conduct business with the government.

“There have been no successful restrictions.”

However, Eskom and Transnet reported that they have restricted certain suppliers on their internal databases.

“They have given us confirmation of that.”

Ramaphosa SIU proclamations

Earlier, Scopa was informed that President Cyril Ramaphosa has issued 135 proclamations authorising the SIU to investigate departments and state entities for mismanagement of taxpayer funds.

The Presidency noted that, since 2001, a total of 276 presidential proclamations have authorised SIU investigations.

Ramaphosa signed off 48.9% of these since he assumed office in February 2018.

This year alone, between January and October 2024, the highest number of SIU proclamations (33) were issued, including 19 since the start of the seventh administration.

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“Since 2018, the Presidency has issued a total of 166 investigation reports to the affected organs of state, reinforcing accountability for actioning the recommendations made by the SIU,” Timm told MPs on Wednesday.

The SIU has recovered just over R5 billion from 2013 to March 2024, with R1.4 billion recovered in this year alone.

Timm attributed the accelerated pace of recoveries to the establishment of the Special Tribunal in 2019.

The SIU had previously depended on filing applications in the high court divisions.

More reforms needed for SIU

Responding to MPs’ questions, Deputy Minister in the Presidency Kenny Morolong acknowledged the need for additional reforms to strengthen the SIU’s work.

The minister suggested that discussions on these reforms should involve not only the Presidency and the SIU but also the Department of Justice and the NPA.

“The NPA must be seen to be discharging its responsibilities without fear, favour, or prejudice, and it must be seen to be discharging its responsibilities independently.

“We are worried that there is a slow pace in prosecuting those who have been found to have had their hand in the cookie jar,” he said.

SIU not investigating Ramaphosa

Morolong further disputed suggestions that Ramaphosa was immune to investigations.

“This president has said so in the past, but one thing we can assure you of is that there has been no intimation from the report of state capture that the president was involved in any unethical conduct, which would presuppose that there should be an investigation against him.

“If there is such an intimation, then relevant law enforcement authorities can then be ceased with the matter and these issues can be reported to them,” the minister said on Wednesday.

“So, the SIU is not investigating the president, but in the same breath, we don’t think that the president is immune to investigation. If the president is involved in any wrongdoing, the president will make himself available for any form of scrutiny.”

Last month, the NPA decided not to prosecute Ramaphosa or anyone else in connection with the Phala Phala scandal.

The announcement of this decision provoked widespread outrage across South Africa’s political landscape.

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