In an interview with OFM News, Chairperson Vusi Tshabalala, who is also the ANC Chief Whip in the Provincial Legislature, says there is poor governance and a lack of accountability in the public sphere. 

Following weeks of committee oversights and considerations of financial reports, Tshabalala says it is time to effect change. He says the local and provincial government is plagued by high irregular and wasteful expenditure, non-compliance with supply chain management measures, and a lack of consequence management for those implicated in wrong-doings. Tshabalala tells OFM News several damning reports by the Auditor-General further indicate that municipalities and provincial departments are in dire straits.

“We are not happy as the Provincial Public Accounts Committee (Propac), primarily because of the audit outcome where the Auditor-General of South Africa has given a red flag on the unauthorised, irregular, wasteful, and fruitless expenditure happening in our own government institutions and entities of government”.

Tshabalala says it is disappointing that the AG reports persistently indicate how supply chain processes are not followed. He says there are instances where millions are coughed up to certain companies without following due tender procedures and that can no longer be tolerated.

Concerns raised by Tshabalala come amidst growing concerns over the appalling state of municipalities countrywide and how the different provincial departments have irregularly awarded Covid-19 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) tenders.

Meanwhile, the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) has vowed to released investigative reports into PPE tenders by provincial departments and municipalities by the end of this month. SIU head, Andy Mothibi, has confirmed investigations linked to R7.6 billion are underway with eleven contracts to the value of approximately R11 million under investigation in the Free State alone.

OFM News