After more than two years of inaction, the Democratic Alliance (DA) reiterates our call to the council of the Thaba Chweu Local Municipality to release the forensic audit report that was conducted in 2018.
Despite being officially commissioned using public funds, the report was never tabled in council and thus made available to the public.
The DA in Mpumalanga has fought tirelessly in the local municipality and in the provincial legislature to ensure that this report be tabled and that those who are guilty of corruption be arrested.
There is little to no consequence management among both provincial and local ANC leadership, and instead of fighting corruption head-on, there is a tendency to conduct expensive investigations after which the findings remain hidden.
Till today, the forensic audit which was conducted in Thaba Chweu remains hidden, and there is no one who can verify if charges were pressed against all those who are implicated.
Similarly, towards the end of 2019, the provincial department of CoGTA called for an investigation to be conducted in Dr JS Moroka, Govan Mbeki, Lekwa and Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Municipalities, based on section 106(1)(b) of the Municipal Systems Act.
In a virtual executive council sitting held on the 24th of June 2020, the council resolved that all completed s106(1)(b) investigation reports be released. It is now mid-September and no municipality, which was issued with this directive, has done so.
In pursuing the fight against corruption, we call on this provincial government to ensure that these reports be tabled in their respective councils and released to the public once they are completed. Those guilty of corrupt practices must be brought to justice.