Heads expected to roll over IEC lease

A cloud is still hanging over the heads of senior IEC officials over their alleged involvement in a R320m lease saga.

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Johannesburg - A cloud is still hanging over the heads of senior officials in the Electoral Commission (IEC) over their alleged involvement in a R320 million botched lease saga.

The IEC remained mum on Monday despite the auditor-general indicating in his report to Parliament that disciplinary action against officials in the R320m lease agreement had not been concluded.

The commission indicated in the report that the matter was still being dealt with, but did not commit to a date to finalise it.

This follows the recommendations by Public Protector Thuli Madonsela in her report in August 2013 that the IEC lease of its Riverside Office Park building in Centurion was flawed.

The subsequent probe by the National Treasury had also made similar findings.

IEC officials fingered in the botched lease agreement include chief electoral officer Mosotho Moepya and other officials.

In her report, Madonsela had recommended action against Moepya’s deputy Norman du Plessis and the manager in his office, Stephen Langtry.

Former IEC chairwoman Pansy Tlakula quit her position in September last year after months of fighting to clear her name.

She insisted that Madonsela never found her guilty of corruption.

Moepya stated in the IEC’s annual report in Parliament that the issue of the lease had not been completed.

“Members of the commission have approached the high court to set aside the Riverside Office Park lease agreement.

“A disciplinary process is currently under way regard-ing the Riverside Office Park lease, involving the accounting officer, among others,” said Moepya, who is the IEC’s accounting officer.

This was confirmed by the auditor-general in his section of the report that disciplinary action was still continuing.

The IEC did not specify the number of officials facing disciplinary action other than those mentioned by the public protector.

The IEC has been without a chairperson since Tlakula quit.

President Jacob Zuma last week asked Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng to restart the process of appointing a replacement for former commissioner Raenette Taljaard.

This was after Parliament rejected the shortlisted eight candidates because they did not meet the criteria.

Zuma said in his letter to Justice Mogoeng the process to find Taljaard’s replacement had to start from scratch.

The eight shortlisted candidates were African male and female, and one white woman, said Zuma.

It is not clear when the new process will be finalised.

Taljaard quit the IEC in February after the appointment of Zuma’s former special adviser Vuma Glenton Mashinini to fill Tlakula’s position.

Taljaard denied her resignation was prompted by the appointment of Mashinini, and said she was going into academia.

The commission is facing tough municipal elections next year. No dates have been announced yet for the local government elections.

These elections are usually held during the first half of the year.

The Star