Business Day

Police officers make R11m from SAPS

- Khulekani Magubane Parliament­ary Writer magubanek@businessli­ve.co.za

The South African Police Service may have made millionair­es of at least three of its officers who have businesses that supply goods and services to it, according to data supplied by Police Minister Fikile Mbalula.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) may have made millionair­es of at least three of its officers who have businesses that supply goods and services to it, according to data supplied by Police Minister Fikile Mbalula in a written reply to Parliament.

Since the 2014-15 financial year, SAPS has paid more than R11m to businesses owned by SAPS officials, with some firms receiving hundreds of thousands or as much as a million.

Various department­s have battled to halt employees doing business with the state since President Jacob Zuma signed the Public Administra­tion Management Act in 2014, a law that seeks to ban this practice.

The minister is also embroiled in an impropriet­y jam of his own as it emerged a company that supplied the Department of Sport and Recreation may have paid for a December family holiday while he was still sports minister.

While DA MP Patricia Kopane asked for details of SAPS employees who were awarded contracts or agreements to conduct business with any state entity between the 2014-15 and 2016-17 financial years, Mbalula said he could provide only the details of SAPS members doing business with SAPS.

“Details of SAPS employees who have conducted business with SAPS are provided… It should, however, be noted that SAPS employees performing business with other state department­s or entities are currently being verified,” said the police minister.

While SAPS only captured R181,000 paid to 10 suppliers owned by employees in the 2016-17 financial year, it paid more than R4.8m to 57 different suppliers in the 2015-16 financial year. In that year, Col ZE Makhaza’s Royale Energy was paid R1.15m. The colonel works in the office of Mpumalanga provincial commission­er Lt-Gen Mondli Zuma.

In 2014-15, SAPS paid R6.75m to 45 suppliers owned by SAPS employees, with Makhaza’s Royal Energy topping the list again at R1.5m.

NE Mafumadi’s Lunado Engine Diff and Gearbox Recon was paid R1.47m in financial 2014-15. Mafumadi worked in an artisan division for the SAPS in Makhado.

In that year, Klerksdorp personnel officer MM Sefako’s Great Champs Trading received R979,351 from SAPS.

Personnel officer N Netshifira received R433,110 in the 2015-16 financial year via Maja Ka Iketlo Project Developmen­t.

The auditor-general’s national leader for audit services, Eugene Zungu, said that while some government employees were doing business with the state in the period of the study, department­s also failed to initiate action to curb the practice.

The government is aiming for 120 conviction­s of people involved in high-priority corruption cases, all to the value of at least R5m, by 2019.

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