Pretoria - The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) will launch an investigation on 11 government departments – both national and provincial – following allegations of corruption and maladministration.
The SIU investigation will focus on unlawful or improper conduct by claimants or applicants in respect to medical negligence claims that were fraudulent, improper or unlawful by any person or entity that unduly benefited themselves or any other person.
Among the departments that will be investigated are the South African Social Security Agency (Sassa), South African Council for Educators (Saca), KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport and the National Department of Health and all Provincial Health departments.
President Cyril Ramaphosa authorised the SIU to launch an investigation into five Sassa service provider contracts.
SIU will investigate the National Department of Health and all Provincial Health departments under Proclamation R74 of 2022. The SIU investigation will focus on unlawful or improper conduct by claimants or applicants in respect to medical negligence claims that were fraudulent… pic.twitter.com/OeJQLvOKmd
“The SIU will seek to establish whether there was any related unauthorised, irregular or fruitless and wasteful expenditure incurred by Sassa or the State,” the SIU said in a series of Tweets.
The SIU added that it would also investigate the procurement process conducted at the Newcastle Municipality.
The investigation will look into any related unauthorised, irregular or fruitless and wasteful expenditure incurred by the municipality in four contracts.
SIU said payments were allegedly made to fictitious employees including former employees after they had left the employ of the municipality.
“(Investigate) Fruitless and wasteful expenditure incurred as a result of late payments made to Eskom, fruitless and wasteful expenditure incurred as a result of late Value Added Tax and Pay As You Earn payments to the South African Revenue Service.”
In the same province, SIU said it would investigate serious maladministration at the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport.
This is after the department was identified by by the auditor-general to have incurred an irregular expenditure and fruitless and wasteful expenditure in March 2019 and March last year.
After conducting the investigations, the SIU said it would refer all the evidence pointing to criminal conduct to the National Prosecuting Authority.
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