North West task team targets graft rogues
MINISTER in the Presidency Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma has hinted at possible criminal prosecution for those implicated in corruption in the troubled North West province.
Dlamini Zuma is leading an inter-ministerial task team set up by President Cyril Ramaphosa following a string of allegations of corruption and maladministration linked to embattled Premier Supra Mahumapelo and his cronies.
Dlamini Zuma said those implicated in criminal activities would be charged, as her team visited the province again to launch a probe into the state of governance in municipalities.
“While we are dealing with these governance issues, the JCPS (justice, crime prevention and security) cluster is also looking at issues that might need investigation like corruption.
“The JCPS is investigating and they are going to investigate anything and everything that is given to them to investigate, and they are going to charge whoever needs to be charged,” Dlamini Zuma said.
Mahumapelo remains on special leave after he reneged on resigning last week and opted to appoint Finance MEC Wendy Nelson as acting premier.
Dlamini Zuma pointed out that governance problems in the province were serious, hence the decision to take over the provincial administration.
“If you invoke section 100 (1) of the constitution it means you are worried, you are concerned.
“It must be obvious just from the action taken,” Dlamini Zuma said.
Her 11-member task team includes ministers of health, finance, co-operative governance, agriculture, public works, justice, defence, police and state security, including a technical team of all directors-general of the respective departments.
She said this week that individual ministers would have to make individual assessments in their equivalent departments and decide if they wanted to either direct the provincial departments to correct the specific governance problems or take over their running altogether, as permitted by section 100.
“After invoking that section, it was decided that all the ministers who have equivalent departments in the province must use this week to asses, so that they can decide whether in their departments, depending on the situation they find, it’s going to be 100 (1) a or 100 (1) b.
“The task team will consolidate that report (from ministers) and submit it to the cabinet, and the president will also report to the NCOP,” she said.