President Cyril Ramaphosa has requested departments and entities implicated in Special Investigating Unit (SIU) investigations to provide him with updates on the implementation of recommendations contained in the reports.
The reports concern departments and institutions investigated between 2002 and 2016, Presidency spokesperson Khusela Diko said in a statement.
The SIU is mandated to investigate serious malpractices or maladministration in the administration of state institutions, state assets and public money as well as any conduct which may seriously harm the interests of the public.
“The SIU submits a final report to the President upon the conclusion of each investigation conducted. SIU reports include recommendations on interventions such as disciplinary action, criminal prosecution or civil litigation in instances where wrongdoing is identified,” Diko said.
Final reports that are currently being shared with parties investigated relate to national government, provincial departments, several municipalities, as well as state-owned entities including Eskom Holdings Ltd. The South African Broadcasting Corporation, the South African Post Office Ltd, North West municipalities and the national Department of Human Settlements are among the implicated.
“To ensure that the impact of SIU investigations is felt, the head of the SIU, Advocate Andy Mothibi, the Unit’s management team have reviewed the SIU value chain, in the interest of, among others, improving the turnaround times of investigations,” she said.
In March, the SIU announced it had recovered R20.5 million on behalf of the State. A further R63 million was identified in money and/or assets potentially recoverable by the state. The unit was also able to refer 168 matters for disciplinary action and submitted six reports to the Presidency.
Members of the public are also encouraged to report corruption and to work with the SIU to blow the whistle on corruption by ensuring that where information is available, this is brought forward without fear. This will also ensure that investigations are concluded more speedily. – SAnews.gov.za
