Mbalula ‘alarmed’ after court sheriff attaches dept property

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula on Friday said he was “alarmed and taken aback” after the Sheriff of the Court attached some of the transport department’s assets.

The attachment by the sheriff, which happened on Thursday, included computers and office furniture. The matter is understood to be related to a Road Accident Fund claim.

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Mbalula’s spokesperson, Lawrence Venkile, said the minister was concerned about this because they were not aware of any notice issued prior to the warrant of execution being actioned.

He said Mbalula had written to the department’s accounting officer to give a full account on the matter.

Venkile said this was in order to establish whether there was negligence or dereliction of duty on any court matter that led to attachment and removal of state property.

“Minister Mbalula has directed the department to take the necessary actions to resolve the matter, recover the assets of the department and ensure that service delivery is not adversely affected,” he said in a statement.

The department did not specify the value of the attachment.

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