President Jacob Zuma has authorised the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to investigate certain matters relating to the affairs of the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Treasury.
The president signed a proclamation in terms of the Special Investigating Unit and Special Tribunals Act, 1996, which authorises the SIU to investigate the treasury’s appointment of a service provider to its Municipal Infrastructure Crack Team to provide services for the Municipal Infrastructure Intervention Programme. The investigation will focus on allegations that payments were made to the service provider in a manner that was not fair, competitive, transparent, equitable or cost-effective; contrary to applicable legislation, manuals, guidelines, practice notes or instructions issued by the National Treasury or the Treasury; or conducted or facilitated by the improper intervention of Treasury employees. The SIU will also investigate unauthorised, irregular and wasteful expenditure by the Treasury in the funding of the Commemorating Prisoners of War – St Helena event, the Durban International North Sea Jazz Festival, and the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board.
COGTA to investigate municipalities This comes after the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) announced that it will investigate the excessive use of emergency deviations from the normal procurement rules by municipalities. Out of 61 KwaZulu-Natal municipalities, 13 recorded the use of emergency deviations from procurement practices. One local municipality recorded 88 deviations, the highest number of emergency deviations from the Municipal Supply Chain Management Regulation No. 36, while and another municipality recorded the highest monetary volume of such transactions to the tune of R 43 029Â 440.
