Report on Nala probe ready soon
2013-02-06 22:30
Bloemfontein - A report on alleged maladministration and corruption in the Free State’s Nala municipality will be ready in March, Public Protector Thuli Madonsela said on Wednesday.
Madonsela visited the municipality to give feedback to residents and to meet municipal officials about her investigations into the affairs of the municipality since April 2012.
She urged residents in Monyakeng to keep paying for municipal services while she concluded her investigation.
After meeting municipal officials, Madonsela said it had been agreed that she would be supplied with various documents.
These include letters written to the National Treasury containing a list of defaulting contractors, and a copy of an implementation plan linked to a KPMG forensic report, with timelines.
The municipality had undertaken to collect toilet buckets twice a week and to have regular contact sessions with the community.
It would also investigate what had happened to R400 000 allegedly paid directly to service providers to develop a non-existent recreation park.
Madonsela said she was satisfied with the progress made, even though the municipality had not act as swiftly as it had promised.
She said a provisional report would be ready at the end of February.
Earlier this week, the Democratic Alliance laid charges of corruption, involving R50m, against Nala municipal officials.
Free State DA leader Patricia Kopane said the full KPMG forensic report had not been tabled in council even though criminal and disciplinary action needed to be taken against top officials.
She said the alleged corrupt incidents included R1.4m for "cool drinks" paid to contractors who were meant to be upgrading residents' toilets.
Kopane said R6m was also allegedly paid to a company for an electronic accounts system, but that the municipality was still writing its accounts by hand four years later.
Other aspects needing investigation included officials being paid double salaries, and the payment for petrol for 207 private vehicles.
- SAPA
