Ekurhuleni mayor welcomes SIU probe, ‘issue of accountability is not negotiable’

7th September 2018 By: News24Wire

Ekurhuleni mayor welcomes SIU probe, ‘issue of accountability is not negotiable’

Ekurhuleni Mayor Mzwandile Masina

Ekurhuleni Mayor Mzwandile Masina on Thursday said he fully supported President Cyril Ramaphosa’s authorisation of a probe by the Special Investigation Unit into alleged serious maladministration and unlawful conduct around the procurement of goods and services for the construction of public transport facilities.

"Such interventions are necessary if there are any suspicions of wrong doing and maladministration in any project. The City of Ekurhuleni welcomes this intervention and commits to fully co-operate with the SIU in this regard," Masina said.

"We are dealing with public funds here and the issue of accountability is not negotiable".

The City of Ekurhuleni in a statement said the investigation will focus on the Vosloorus taxi rank and Bluegum View public transport facilities, where the unit will investigate claims that the procurement of these projects in February 2014 had been unauthorized, irregular or fruitless, and wasteful.

He called on anyone with information to "come forward" to assist in the probe, maintaining that the City remained committed to clean governance and was determined to fight fraud and corruption.

According to the Presidency, the probe was also in relation to alleged serious maladministration and unlawful conduct around the procurement of goods and services for the construction of the Vosloorus Hospital.

"The SIU will investigate claims that procurement for these projects… had been unauthorised, irregular or fruitless and wasteful and that procurement had not been fair, competitive, equitable or cost-effective," it had said in a statement.