Zuma urges departments to cough up R390m owing to SIU

President Jacob Zuma has called on government departments and entities that owe the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to pay their debts without delay to enable the SIU to continue functioning optimally.

It emerged during talks between Zuma and the Head of the SIU‚ Adv Andy Mothibi‚ in Pretoria on Friday that the unit is owed almost R390 million‚ a statement by the Presidency revealed.

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“The SIU’s mandate is to recover and prevent financial losses to the state caused by acts of corruption‚ fraud and maladministration. The SIU also assists departments with systemic improvements that improve service delivery.

“Adv Mothibi informed the President that the SIU is owed R388‚966‚514 by state institutions‚” the Presidency said.

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“The President said it was unacceptable that the institutions would withhold much-needed funding to the SIU and that they should pay up without delay‚” it added.

It said the SIU was currently undertaking many investigations based on proclamations signed by the President. “In particular‚ between 2010 and 2016‚ a total number of 69 SIU proclamations were signed‚ with 10 Proclamations signed in the 2016/2017 financial alone‚ to investigate a number of allegations of corruption.

 “The actual value of the money and/or assets that has been recovered for the State and/or relevant third parties by the SIU is R22.5 million to date in 2016/17. Since 2011/12‚ the total value of money that has been recovered for the State to date is R279.5 million.”