Mpumalanga Premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane says she intends appointing a team to investigate certain provincial departments for mismanagement of COVID-19 funds.
Mtsweni-Tsipane says she has identified some discrepancies regarding expenditure and pricing. She says the investigation will be completed in the next two weeks. They will then refer the matter to the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) should they find prima facie evidence of wrongdoing.
“As a matter of urgency I would be appointing an independent team of investigators that will be tasked with establishing reasons for the irregularities with a specific focus on the following departments and agencies, the Department of Culture Sports and Recreation, Provincial Treasury, the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Mpumalanga Parks and Tourism Agency and Mpumalanga Economic Growth Agency,”
The Premier says they are also looking at how municipalities spent the COVID-19 funds although the SIU has already started investigating some municipalities such as Nkomazi.
Mtsweni-Tsipane says, “I have called them on the special PCF where I have requested them to collect their data. They have already submitted, we are working on the data that we have received from the municipalities, busy analysing that I’m sure by next Wednesday we should have it readily available.”
Mpumalanga adopted a three-pillar strategy to deal and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 a strategy focused on prevention and the burial of those who succumbed to the virus.
Mtsweni-Tsipane revealed this recently when President Cyril Ramaphosa was in the province to assess coronavirus response.
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