Top official fails to ‘bribe’ auditor
Gauteng's Sports and Recreation boss allegedly asked the Gauteng A-G's office to alter a financial audit.
|||Johannesburg - Gauteng Premier David Makhura began cracking the whip this week as he suspended Namhla Siqaza – the head of the Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts and Recreation – whom he placed on precautionary suspension for allegedly trying to bribe a senior official of the auditor-general’s offices.
The Sunday Independent understands that Siqaza allegedly made a failed attempt to bribe a senior official of the auditor-general’s office in Gauteng, asking her to alter her department’s financial audit outcome for the 2014/2015 financial year.
The failed attempt followed after the A-G’s office uncovered massive corruption, which involves unexplained expenditure of public funds involving millions of rand.
Some of these include money spent on the Bob van Rheenen Stadium and the department’s provincial archives in Krugersdorp.
Various other expenditures involving millions of rand were also unexplained.
The aggrieved senior official in the A-G’s office, who is known to the Sunday Independent, then lodged an official complaint with the MEC for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation, Molebatsi Bopape, who then reported Siqaza to Makhura.
The Premier last Tuesday then decided to place Siqaza “on precautionary suspension following allegations of improper conduct”.
Gauteng government spokesman Thabo Masebe said he viewed the allegations made against Siqaza seriously and had decided to institute a disciplinary inquiry.
Makhura also appointed Boy Ngobeni - a former head of the department of education – to act while pending Ziqaza’s hearing.
Ngobeni was seconded from the newly created department of e-Government where he is working under Finance MEC Barbara Creecy.
On Saturday, MEC Bopape confirmed she reported Siqaza to the Premier but refused to give details, saying “it is the competence of the Premier”.
She also declined to give details of the allegations but said “she has a lot to answer for”.
“There is a lot for her to answer. She had done a lot of things which she was not supposed to do.”
The A-G’s spokesman, Africa Boso, confirmed a failed attempt to bribe one of their officials.
“The Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) confirms that an attempt had been made to influence one of its employees to alter an audit finding. Our employee refused and reported this interference.
“As a great supporter of good corporate governance, the AGSA always encourages its employees to lead by example at all times as they are ambassadors of one of the custodians of our country’s and its taxpayers’ resources.
“This is one of our key founding principles and we have to live by it,” Boso said.
The A-G’s office cautioned government officials against attempts to manipulate any of its employees to change audit findings.
“It is worth noting that the audit process is such that a single person on an audit team cannot collude with government officials in return for clean or favourable (audit) outcome as there are a number of stringent internal and external review mechanisms to which all our auditors have to adhere.
“In addition, as part of the International Standards of Auditing that we have adopted and have to comply with, all our auditors have to follow a professional and ethical approach when conducting audits.
“In the event of any deviation from these ethics, we would follow our set internal policies,” Boso warned.
DA spokesman on sports, arts and culture Paul Willemburg also welcomed the suspension and hoping that disciplinary actions would be finalised swiftly and quickly.
“The DA has long held that the inept and improper behaviour of Ms Siqaza has hamstrung the department to deliver efficient and effective services to the residents of Gauteng.
“We hope that this is Premier Makhura’s first step to deliver on his promises of taking decisive action against any government officials who fail to deliver,” Willemburg said.
He added he hoped that the suspension would not be dragged out and that swift action would be taken if Siqaza was found guilty of any of the allegations against her.
Gauteng Department of Sports, Arts and Reaction has in recent months been rocked by tensions involving several officials accused of corruption.
Last month, an employee failed in her High Court bid to stop the department from instituting disciplinary proceedings against her.
Another senior official close to Siqaza has since been suspended as Bopape battles massive corruption by senior employees.
Contracts were, for example, awarded to two different companies owned by different people. On close scrutiny, investigations uncovered that these companies shared the same address.
In one instance, the Sunday Independent was told that a company was awarded a lucrative contract on the same day Bopape was sworn into office.
“Even though it is not law, officials are advised not to enter into agreements when there’s change of government,” one official said.
The Sunday Independent
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