AfriForum has made severe accusations against Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, claiming that he is the “central figure in the cover-up of rampant corruption, money laundering, and fraud” inside the Provincial Government.
The ongoing scandal hinges on the Gauteng Department of Social Development (GDSD), where 13 officials implicated in various forensic investigations since 2016 have been secretly reinstated by current MEC Faith Mazibuko after previously being suspended.
The disturbing reports, highlighting the misuse of hundreds of millions of rand intended for initiatives such as school uniforms and food assistance for vulnerable communities, have raised eyebrows across the political spectrum.
Notably, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has called for an urgent investigation into the appointment processes of these cooperatives, claiming they were irregularly allocated contracts linked to the school uniform procurement.
DA Shadow MEC Refiloe Nt’sekhe stated: “Many NPOs claim GDSD staff allegedly have fronted cooperatives using friends’ or relatives’ details.”
Such claims suggest an entrenched web of corruption whereby main contractors were assigned minimal quantities of work in favour of subcontractors, often benefitting those involved with the officials.
The entire scenario raises significant concerns about transparency and accountability within the department. According to an insider who wishes to remain anonymous, a recent tender awarded for school uniforms valued at R147 million per annum resulted in 97 service providers being selected.
However, numerous instances of favouritism emerged, with certain cooperatives receiving far greater quantities of uniforms to manufacture. One contractor faced the daunting task of producing 3,430 shoes, while a subcontractor was assigned 9 020 units — a staggering threefold discrepancy.
As complaints from main contractors surged, officials attempted damage control by devising a plan for the department to make payments directly to the subcontractors, effectively bypassing the main contractors altogether.
This led to a backlash from industry players who felt cheated by the corrupt practices at play.
Former MEC Mbali Hlophe, who had placed these officials under suspension, has vocally condemned the reinstatement decision as detrimental to fairness in the upcoming disciplinary proceedings.
The allegations do not stop there. Following Hlophe’s mandate for an investigation and the cessation of payments to implicated officials, there were massive protests orchestrated by the suspended officials and their cooperatives, with Nt’sekhe allegedly supporting these demonstrations.
Hlophe asserted that this was a deliberate move to deflect attention from the corruption at hand.
Hlophe’s efforts for transparency have been met with deflection from her political opponents, like Nt’sekhe, who claims she was unaware of the cooperatives.
Yet, Hlophe retorted that Nt’sekhe has been complicit in covering up the abuse of power within the department for years, pointing out her conduct during critical debates on governance and accountability issues. “...their dishonourable member Refiloe Nt’sekhe has in fact been covering up a lot of wrongdoing taking place at Social Development.
“And she’s now tripping all over her lies, as she wants to appear as having stood up against wrongdoing. She supported the protests of the dubious cooperatives and NPOs, and protected officials implicated in corruption, which I cautioned her against...“
Amidst the unfolding drama, MEC Mazibuko and Lesufi’s decision to reinstate these officials has raised concerns about potential evidence tampering and harassment of whistleblowers among department staff members.
While the Department of Public Service and Administration maintains a directive that suspended officials should be transferred to other departments, the decision to reinstate may defy these recommendations as corruption probes loom large.
According to Barry Bateman, a spokesperson for AfriForum, Lesufi was given reports that attempted to clarify the suspended officials’ involvement in corrupt activities.
However, he chose to have a law firm examine the reports and clear the implicated officials, rescinding the law firm’s appointment to handle the 13 officials’ disciplinary hearings.
Bateman said it was inexplicable why a premier, supposedly committed to clean governance, would allegedly stymie attempts to root out corruption in his government.
“The whistle-blower alleges that Premier Lesufi stands as the stumbling block to internal disciplinary and criminal cases proceeding against the implicated officials.”
Attempts to get comment from GDSD spokesperson, Motsamai Motlhaolwa, were unsuccessful at the time of print.