LIFESTYLE AUDITS FOR WORKS BOSSES

LOBAMBA – The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) wants lifestyle audits for managers of the Public Works and Transport Ministry because they are filthy rich.

The Members of Parliament (MPs) said the officials had amassed wealth while government projects suffered due to underfunding.
Deputy Chairperson Musa Kunene was particularly not pleased with the rate of unfinished projects by companies that later filed for liquidation.

One such company, Khula Construction, was awarded a tender to construct the eBuhleni Police Station when it later filed for liquidation. This was after the contractor had already been given an advance payment of over E6.2 million.

The PAC said this could be a result of officials colluding with the contractor to cash in on the irregular payments.
“I ask the Accountant General (AG) to do lifestyle audits of the managers at Public Works, because there is no way the country could lose such amounts of money without hope for recovery,” he said.

Corruption

Principal Secretary Makhosini Mndawe said the matter had also been reported to the Anti-Corruption Commission, which had since collected information from the ministry in their quest to get to the bottom of the matter.

He said Khula Construction was awarded a tender after all due processes were followed; including that it was approved by the Construction Industry experts.
He said when the company filed for provisional liquidation, government had taken steps to seize some assets on site, but then the exercise was futile when the liquidation became a legal exercise whereby all other creditors had to be taken into account.

When the PAC said the ministry was reckless when issuing advance payments to Khula, the PS said there had been bond payments made by the company to cushion government from the advance payment.
MP Stewart asked for previous references for Khula to show that it qualified for the tender.

“It was easy for them to submit cars, equipment and get a bank loan just to qualify for the tender. We want to see projects that they built before being awarded tenders for the Lubombo, Big Bend and eBuhleni projects,” MP Stewart said.
MP Roy Fanourakis said the Ministry had turned into a puppet show, especially after reports that over E20 million had been lost in fuel discrepancies.

taxpayers

“You must get people who are seriously looking for work, not people who sleep on the job, while taxpayers’ money is lost.
MP Oneboy Zikalala said the Public Works Ministry was over-staffed will negligent people, who should be reduced because they were too many.
“Kuyagangwa kulelitiko” he sa- id meaning corruption was rife in the ministry.

Buthelezi said: “Government has lost millions in the fuel scandal at CTA and there are officials who are millionaires in this ministry. They have double stories in their homes, which are built in just six months. Millions have become mere cents at the Works Ministry.

The PAC instructed the ministry to recover monies paid to the contractor, which has since filed for liquidation.

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