‘Arrest, punish municipal officials who threatened staff from auditor-general’s office’

PARLIAMENT HAS CALLED for tough action to be taken against officials in several municipalities in Gauteng for threatening staff from Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu’s office.

Yesterday, the standing committee on the auditor-general, the portfolio committee on police and portfolio committee on co-operative governance said those responsible should be arrested by the Hawks for preventing the auditor-general from doing his work.

Makwetu wrote to the standing committee on the auditor-general complaining about threats his officials received from Emfuleni, Tshwane, Madibeng and Moretele municipalities.

The three committees agreed to urgently meet to resolve this issue.

The acting chairperson of the standing committee on the auditor-general, Nthabiseng Khunou, said this behaviour was getting out of hand, and that the Hawks had to act.

“We cannot have an unaccountable government. People pay tax, and they want to know what is happening with their money,” said Khunou.

She warned that if this problem was not stopped, the country would lose skilled auditors.

Khunou was backed by the chairperson of the portfolio committee on police, Francois Beukman, who said they needed to meet urgently.

Beukman said they would not allow the problem to persist. He said the office of the A-G needed to be protected, because it was guarding the public purse.

The chairperson of the portfolio committee on co-operative governance, Richard Mdakane, said they wanted action against those responsible for threatening staff from Makwetu’s office.

“It is wrong for anyone to prevent people from doing their work. People who are doing that should be arrested. They must be investigated and charged with conducting criminal activities,” said Mdakane.

This is not the first time officials from the auditor-general’s office have been threatened. A few months ago Makwetu reported in Parliament that officials in the eThekwini municipality had been threatened.

He has previously raised concerns about this conduct.