The Gauteng Education MEC Panyaza Lesufi is engaging with law enforcement and various other agencies, including the office of the Auditor-General, to ensure a thorough investigation into millions spent on decontaminating schools in the province.
A report by the department has found that over R400 million has been spent on decontamination in just three months and that most of it was unnecessary.
Spokesperson Steve Mabona says, “The MEC is dismayed about the millions that have been spent on decontamination, deep cleaning, sanitisation in different schools. After perusing the report, he’s actually in an advanced stage of consulting the law enforcement agencies, investigative bodies as well that can assist us to investigate on what might have transpired; why so much? What is it that it was used for and is there any justification because we also want to know whether there is any value for money. That’s why he will also ask the Auditor-General to assist in this process.”
Over R400 million spent by Gauteng Education on decontaminating schools: Steve Mabona
Meanwhile, the Democratic Alliance has called for Gauteng Premier, David Makhura, to take urgent special leave, pending the outcomes of Special Investigation Unit (SIU) investigations into the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) scandal.
In a statement, the DA says Makhura failed to prevent the PPE corruption scandal, which allegedly happened under his watch.
The DA says the former Gauteng Health Department Chief Financial Officer, Kabelo Lehloenya, had implicated Makhura in the awarding of the multi-million PPE tenders, after she stated in an affidavit that Makhura gave her the names of the companies to appoint, supply and deliver PPEs in the province.
DA Provincial Leader, Solly Msimanga, says investigations into the matter need to be addressed with urgency.
“The same report contained something that was later on revealed as part of the affidavit that Makhura had been given an instruction by certain companies to be given part of the PPE contracts. That is undue influence on Supply Chain Management, which is an illegal act. So, what we are asking is that he take special leave because he cannot suspend himself. We are asking for President Ramaphosa to speed up the investigation, taking into consideration what Kabelo Lehloenya had to say.”
