President Ramaphosa gives SIU the go ahead to probe Saldanha Bay Municipality

President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorized the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to investigate the affairs of the Saldanha Bay Local Municipality.

This was revealed in a notice published in a government gazette published last week Thursday.

Ramaphosa said allegations have been made in respect of the affairs of the Saldanha Bay Local Municipality.

“I deem it necessary that the said allegations should be investigated and civil proceedings emanating from such investigation should be adjudicated upon,” he said.

He ordered that the SIU investigate the procurement of or contracting of security services by or on behalf of the municipality.

The SIU probe will investigate allegations that took place as far back as January 2017 up to the publication of the notice authorizing the corruption busting body to conduct the probe.

The terms of reference of the investigation include serious maladministration in connection with the affairs of the municipality as well as improper unlawful conduct by the officials or employees of the municipality.

This also extends to unlawful appropriation for expenditure of public funds and intentional or negligent loss of public money.

Ramaphosa said the SIU should “exercise or perform all the functions and powers assigned to or conferred upon the said Special Investigating Unit by the Act, including the recovery of any losses suffered by the State or the municipality.”

Ramaphosa said the SIU should look into the contract for security services in so far as any unauthorised, irregular or fruitless expenditure incurred are concerned.

“Any improper or unlawful conduct by the official and employees of the municipality of the service provider in question” shall be at the centre of the probe.

Meanwhile, Ramaphosa also extended the scope of the probe into the affairs of the National Treasury’s integrated financial management system.

Ramaphosa said the SIU should also probe the State Information Technology Agency (SITA and Public Service and Administration Department).

The SIU probe emanates from one gazetted early this year where the corruption busting body was authorised to investigate the procurement and payments made for the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS) in the manner that “was not fair, competitive, transparent, equitable or cost-effective”.

Now, the terms of reference for the SIU probe cover serious maladministration within the three institutions.

The National Treasury initiated the IFMS project, which was aimed to integrate human resource and financial management in government, in 2005.

It spent R1billion on the first phase, and a further R1.2bn was spent on the second phase of the project.

A forensic investigation into the project found that the National Treasury flouted its own policies and regulations.

-Political Bureau

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His followers were really entertained by his caption as well as well as the picture as it can be interpreted in many ways and they were amused by how he had interpreted it. Learn More

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