Finance head’s ‘shock’ at probe of treasury

KWAZULU-Natal finance portfolio committee chairperson Sipho Nkosi has expressed shock at President Jacob Zuma’s announcement that the Special Investigating Unit would investigate the provincial treasury, which he described as the best performing in the country.

Nkosi said he was concerned that the latest proclamation came while the report of another SIU investigation into the same department, which Zuma had proclaimed in 2015, had not yet released.

At the weekend, Zuma announced said that the unit would investigate the province’s treasury. Among the allegations to be probed are serious matters of maladministration and corruption.

Speaking to Independent Media yesterday, ANC MPL Nkosi said as the committee chairperson he had never suspected any wrongdoing by the treasury.

“As the portfolio committee, we are doing oversight over the department, and we have never come across anything suspicious. But we hope those who have done this (called for the investigation) have information that will help get to the truth,” he said.

He said the office of auditor-general Kimi Makwetu had for seven consecutive years given the provincial treasury clean audit reports.

“Therefore, we have no reason to be suspicious. Even now there are strong pointers that the AG is going to give another clean audit,” he said.

Zuma has instructed the SIU to investigate allegations of:

* Serious maladministration in connection with the affairs of the treasury.

* Improper or unlawful conduct by officials or employees of the treasury.

* Unlawful appropriation or expenditure of public money or property.

* Unlawful, irregular or unapproved acquisitive acts, transactions, measures or practices having a bearing on state property.

* Intentional or negligent loss of public money or damage to public property.

* Unlawful or improper conduct by any person, which has caused or may cause serious harm to the interests of the public or any category thereof.

Nkosi also questioned the whereabouts of the report of the 2015 investigation, as “to date I am not aware of the outcome of the investigation”.

“It would be unfortunate if this investigation would end up like a previous one, whose outcome is unknown.”

However, the IFP and DA in the KwaZulu-Natal legislature welcomed Zuma’s announcement of the latest probe, although they also questioned the outcome of the previous one.

IFP national chairperson Blessed Gwala alleged a syndicate inside the department was stealing state funds.

Zuma’s spokesperson Bongani Ngqulunga said the SIU should release the report, However, an SIU official said the report should be released by the presidency, which had authorised the investigation.