North West MEC Hoffman Galeng grilled over security splurge at his private home

The North West department of social development has admitted to ignoring a recommended once-off R128‚000 security upgrade at MEC Hoffman Galeng’s private residence and to opting instead for a R50‚000 monthly payment on physical security.

This admission comes after a TimesLIVE exposé earlier this month found that the placement of security guards at the MEC’s house in Vryburg - about 150km from his official house in Mahikeng - was in possible contravention of the ministerial handbook.

The norm is that an office bearer should spend not more than R200‚000 on a once-off security upgrade during their term.

The ministerial handbook further stipulates that any decision for extra security to be provided should only be taken after an assessment by the ministers of police and intelligence.

The provincial Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa) on Thursday called on Galeng and departmental officials to account following the TimesLIVE report.

However‚ a statement by the committee on Friday stated that the department had in their meeting “failed to present a detailed report on the exact amount that was spent for the security upgrades and who was responsible for such arrangements”.

It said that acting department head Poppy Moremi had “admitted before the committee that the department ignored recommendations made by the South African Police Services (SAPS) after an assessment was conducted at the MEC’s private residence‚ as per the ministerial handbook”.

“After receiving recommendations from SAPS‚ we engaged the department of public works and roads to provide cost specifications for security improvements. It was estimated at R128‚398 - but they were never implemented‚” Moremi is quoted as saying in the statement.

The committee claims that instead of doing security upgrades‚ the department went for the costly physical security‚ which Moremi said has been in place since last year.

Moremi revealed to the committee that the quotations for August and September this year amounted to R100‚723.

TimesLIVE has seen documents confirming that a security company was paid R50‚000 in one month to provide four guards‚ two on night shift and two during the day.

Using this as an average monthly payment‚ the department would have spent about R600‚000 on security services at the MEC’s private residence‚ instead of what could have been a once-off payment of R128‚000.

Committee chairperson Mahlakeng Mahlakeng told TimesLIVE earlier this month that what was happening in Galeng’s case was “ unheard of” and that there was “no provision in the ministerial handbook” that allowed the MEC to have such extra security.

Mahlakeng expressed his disappointment after the committee’s meeting with Galeng and his officials‚ saying that although the department admitted that money was spent on physical security at the house‚ there were “disagreements amongst the officials on who ignored the recommendations of SAPS and public works department and later authorised payments for separate security arrangements and its exact term of contract”.

“We also hoped that the meeting was going to be simple and that information was going to come forward to refute media reports on the security arrangement‚ but no one within the department wants to tell the truth‚” said Mahlakeng.

“There are four versions of the story on the number of months that the security company spent at the MEC’S private home and why there were deviations from the recommendations of two state entities.

“We just want to understand whether the MEC was aware of these security arrangements happening at his house. If so‚ whoever is responsible must pay back the money.”

The committee said Galeng had promised to provide a “comprehensive report on the security arrangements at his private home”. Mahlakeng further added that this should be with them by Tuesday next week.