IFP will push probe
FOR THE past three years, the IFP has been pursuing allegations of fraud and corruption in the KwaZulu-Natal Treasury. The party feels vindicated after President Jacob Zuma authorised the Special Investigating Unit to investigate a series of allegations in the department.
The IFP has been vocal in highlighting and exposing the serious allegations of fraud and corruption in the KZN Treasury.
In addition to media statements, motions and debates in the legislature, we held a media briefing in November to expose the serious shenanigans in the treasury. We presented a detailed list of the allegations but the provincial government did not take them seriously.
When we raised our concerns in the legislature, Finance MEC Belinda Scott shrugged them off and said there was nothing illegal happening in the treasury.
We even pointed to a white cabal that was running the treasury. But it would appear that Scott is protecting certain individuals.
It must be remembered that our call for an investigation forced the premier to intervene and he overruled the finance MEC who threatened to take the report of the former public protector, Thuli Madonsela, on judicial review.
But since then nothing has happened at provincial level to investigate the goings on at the treasury. We welcome Zuma’s call for an investigation but urge him to ensure that an investigation does indeed take place and a report is made public without delay.
We say this because in 2015 Zuma called for an investigation into the spending of taxpayers’ money on projects like the International North Sea Jazz Festival, the commemoration of Prisoners of War-St Helena event and KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board. Millions were paid to the organisers but some of the projects never took place and the money was not recovered. To this day, we have not seen the outcome of that investigation.
If the president is serious about exposing and eradicating corruption, he must follow through and ensure that the public is made aware of the outcome of the investigations.
The IFP will be following this issue very closely.