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The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is set to investigate allegations of corruption and maladministration at the Eastern Cape department of health and at the Midvaal Local Municipality in Gauteng.
This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa signed two new proclamations to allow the unit to probe the affairs of the department and the DA-run municipality, to recover any financial losses the state suffered through civil litigation.
The proclamations cover offences which took place between 1 March 2018 and 8 July 2022, and 1 June 2020 and 8 July 2022.
The proclamation for the SIU into the Eastern Cape department of health allows them to focus on the procurement of, or contracting for health care risk waste management services.
“The probe will firstly look at whether the contract and payments were fair, equitable, transparent, competitive or cost-effective and whether guidelines by the National Treasury or the relevant Provincial Treasury were followed.”
“Secondly, the SIU will investigate any irregular, improper or unlawful conduct by employees or officials of the department, and any other person or parties involved in this tender,” SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago wrote in a statement.
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“The SIU will be probing the Midvaal on a tender for the rental of a vehicle tracking system, including the installation, monitoring and maintenance of a web based live tracking system by or on behalf of the Municipality,” Kganyago said.
The investigation will focus on whether payments relating to the contract were fair, equitable or cost-effective, and whether the municipality followed the provincial Treasury guidelines.
Midvaal is the only council under the DA in Gauteng and perceived as well run and corruption free. The DA touts the council as the most efficient compared to the ANC-run municipalities in Gauteng.
Midvaal received its eighth consecutive clean audit or the 2020/2021 financial year.
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