The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape has requested the Hawks to investigate alleged corruption in relation to the Richtersveld municipality’s allocation of disaster funding, that was intended to help the institution respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This comes after the DA received information that the Mayor, the Municipal Manager and the Chief Financial Officer of the said municipality, have allegedly split the disaster allocation of R120 000, three ways.

The money should have been used to assist the municipality to provide additional access to basic services for vulnerable communities, and even to assist to sanitize public transport facilities. The fact that this money is alleged to have been diverted into the pockets of the municipal leaders, is simply wicked.

Just a week ago, the DA warned that amendments to procurement regulations, to enable municipalities to institute a more efficient disaster response, would in fact have the simultaneous effect of opening up the back door to corruption. Unfortunately, our concerns were not misplaced.

This being the case, we suspect that similar instances relating to the abuse of disaster funds could also be prevalent in other municipalities.

In addition to reporting the allegations to the Hawks, the DA has called on COGHSTA MEC, Bentley Vass, to urgently put measures in place to help safeguard the disaster funds from unscrupulous officials and politicians.

At the same time, Vass must prove that he is indeed serious about tackling corruption.

Following the release of the dismal audit outcomes of municipalities, Vass recently called for investigative bodies to speedily scrutinise instances of material irregularities. Vass must put his money where his mouth is. In this regard, we expect an urgent internal investigation to be launched into the Richtersveld matter and if there is any truth to the allegations, he must ensure that the three implicated persons are placed on precautionary suspension with immediate effect.

As we head into the Covid-19 storm, its time that municipalities earn their worth. They can do this by ensuring that funds are directed towards initiatives that will curb the spread of the coronavirus and not further encourage the spread of the corruption pandemic.

Issued by The DA