‘Arrest those threatening AG officials’

LAW ENFORCEMENT agencies should quickly arrest people who are threatening auditor-general officials from auditing municipalities as their action is a serious breach of the constitution, said Accountability Now director Paul Hoffman.

Hoffman was reacting to Parliament’s revelation that threats against AG officials were increasing around the country, having been reported in Emfuleni, Tshwane, Madibeng, eThekwini, Msunduzi and Moretele municipalities.

“This is a criminal offence, as the Constitution states that the independence of the auditor-general as a Chapter 9 institution has to be upheld.

“Threatening the AG is to undermine the Constitution,” said Hoffman.

He said the threats were a reaction to the National Council of Provinces’ July passing of the Public Audit Amendment Bill, to give AG Kimi Makwetu more powers to act decisively against those who had misused public funds. “Before, the AG would only refer these matters to the Hawks or Public Service Commission, and nothing would be done about it,” said Hoffman.

Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Zweli Mkhize’s office revealed that an AG official, who was part of a team assigned to auditing Emfuleni Municipality, was wounded when gunshots were fired at her room, in which she was asleep.

“The assailant entered the room at a bed-and-breakfast accommodation where they (AG officials) were staying and shot the auditor and stole the laptop computer,” reads a statement from Cogta.

Earlier this year, Makwetu told the eThekwini Municipality he was pulling out his officials, who were auditing supply chain management books, due to safety concerns after they had received death threats.