“The provincial government must walk the talk, it is hypocrisy to speak against corruption but fail to act against those who are stealing from the poor.”
COSATU in the Northern Cape has called on the provincial government to act with urgency against officials implicated in corrupt activities.
The provincial secretary of the federation, Orapeleng Moraladi, said that two local government departments have been officially implicated in corruption, however, it appears that nobody has been taken to task for that.
“Cosatu is deeply concerned about the revelation of acts of corruption in the Department of Education and the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (DSAC). This follows the testimony in 2019 at the Zondo commission that an official at the Department of Education received a bribe of R1.2 million from Bosasa to secure a tender worth R10 million for upgrades at the department’s building in Kimberley. To date, no steps have been taken against the culprit.
“Recently, the HOD for Sport, Arts and Culture was implicated in a report by the Public Protector for allegations of improper conduct and maladministration concerning DSAC and the Northern Arts and Culture Council (NCACC). The report reveals that NCACC paid
R1 million to an events company to host the Umsobomvu Youth Tourism and Cultural Festival at Norvalspont in December 2016 which never took place.
“We demand that the perpetrators be suspended from work with immediate effect, failing which we will be left with no other option but to take to the streets in order to remove whoever is perpetuating or protecting corruption in the public office.
“We further demand that the premier must act and deal with every allegation of corruption, wherever it manifests itself, within the provincial government. This will be a good step to ensure that there is no room for thieves and anarchy.”
Moraladi added that serious intervention in these matters is required to curb any future incidents.
“The federation views these allegations in a very serious light and believes that this could be just the tip of the iceberg, since this might also be the case at other departments. We therefore call on the premier, the Hawks, the police and the departments that are implicated to act speedily and ensure that the perpetrators are arrested, prosecuted and taken to jail, but, most importantly, that all monies are recovered.
“The provincial government must walk the talk, it is hypocrisy to speak against corruption but fail to act against those who are stealing from the poor.”
