DURBAN – KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala said that criminal charges would be opened against some government officials implicated in irregular expenditure amounting to over R29 million during the lockdown.
Zikalala has revealed the findings of a two-month-long investigation by provincial treasury into the departments of Education and Social Development.
The investigations were sparked by allegations of corruption in the procurement of PPEs and blankets.
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Zikalala said that over R13 million was irregularly spent in the provincial Education Department during the procurement of PPEs.
He said that if proper procedures had been followed, the department would have saved millions.
The province’s Social Development Department lost R15.8 million after service providers misrepresented blanket orders delivered to the department.
Zikalala said that implicated officials and service providers would be dealt with.
“Those who need to be suspended will be suspended and a disciplinary process must unfold but secondly, we are not going to allow people who are service providers to corrupt officials and then we continue to do business with them.”
While officials face suspensions, Zikalala said that the MECs of both departments would not be subjected to any consequence management because the investigations had exonerated them.