EC premier orders investigation into transport department

01 May 2020 - 17:22

By MPUMZI ZUZILE

Eastern Cape premier Oscar Mabuyane has instructed the provincial treasury to conduct a forensic investigation into allegations made against the provincial transport department.

In a statement on Friday morning, provincial spokesperson Mvusiwekhaya Sicwetsha said the investigation will focus on:

Improper procurement and inflated costs of sanitisers;
Improper procurement of Bailey bridges;
Improper conduct in the expenditure for the funeral service of the Centane bus accident victims; and
Allegations of improper contract between the department and Mioca Lodge to accommodate employees of the department’s roads section for a period more than a year.

“The provincial treasury department has been directed to immediately commence with the investigation and provide a report to the premier,” Sicwetsha said.

Sicwetsha said Mabuyane has noted statements that have been circulating on social media platforms about the implementation of the public service commission report, including allegations that Mabuyane has not acted on the report for various reasons.

Last week there was an outcry after a bed and breakfast belonging to transport MEC Weziwe Tikana-Gxothiwe’s daughter was used to quarantine Covid-19 patients.

A day later the Eastern Cape government moved the patients to Glen Grey Hospital after the Cala community expressed disapproval about Tikana-Gxothiwe's link to the B&B.

In April last year, the Eastern Cape government spent R47.1-million on material to build five Bailey bridges, but has nothing to show for it.

A Bailey bridge is a portable, prefabricated truss bridge.

This was revealed in a letter Eastern Cape treasury head Daluhlanga Majeke wrote to his former counterpart in the transport department, Irene Mpolweni.

In the letter, dated January 28 2019, Majeke told Mpolweni a team from the treasury had visited two bridge sites in Nyosana and Matatiele, and that officials from the department of transport had verified material worth R10.7m to build them.

However, in the letter Majeke states transport officials could not verify material for five other bridges worth R47.1m.