The Gauteng Provincial Government is being economical with the truth when it said an investigation into 13 Social Development Department officials has not been completed, which permitted their return to work.

This is according to AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit (PPU).

Communications manager for the unit Barry Bateman said in a statement released earlier today that the PPU was in possession of the charge sheets that would have seen the implicated officials face a disciplinary hearing on January 12.

“Earlier this month the unit revealed that a whistleblower alleged that Premier Panyaza Lesufi was a central figure in a massive cover-up of rampant corruption, money laundering and fraud that has cost the provincial government hundreds of millions of rands allocated to the Department of Social Development to support needy NGOs,” said Bateman.

He added that the charge sheets in question were based on an investigation by Forensic Services Group Africa (FSG) that had identified the 13 officials and directors of NPOs as being involved in irregular procurement practices, fraud and corruption.

In a letter to Lesufi, the unit’s head, Advocate Gerrie Nel, states that the final FSG Africa report implicated senior officials in gross negligence, misrepresentation financial misconduct and irregular procurement.

“Notably, the FSG report is just one of several such investigations conducted since 2016 when malfeasance was first discovered in the department in relation to food bank, school uniform, and dignity pack programmes,” said Bateman.

In his letter, Nel points out that FSG Africa’s final report recommended the institution of disciplinary action.

Nel added that the implicated officials were served with notices of disciplinary hearings dated December 28, 2023.

The notices listed the charges against them and stipulated the hearing date and time as January 12, 2024 at 10:00.

The notice of disciplinary hearing letters to the employees stated: “I refer to the findings of a forensic audit conducted by FSG Africa into possible financial misconduct as well as fraudulent, corrupt, and other irregular conduct which may have taken place in respect of a number of non-profit organisations (‘NPOs’).

“After reviewing the evidence of certain alleged acts of misconduct committed by you with respect to the abovementioned NPOs, the Gauteng Department of Social Development (‘the Department’) has decided to institute disciplinary proceedings against you.”

According to the PPU, the whistleblower also said that Lesufi was provided with the reports, but alleges that instead of following through on the recommendations, he terminated the process to hold the officials accountable and now wants the public to believe that the matter is still under investigation.

In the letter to Lesufi’s office, Nel refers to a public statement attributed to the premier wherein he states he is ‘committed to transparency and accountability’.

“We invite you to uphold your publicly proclaimed devout commitment to transparency and accountability by giving our correspondence the attention it deserves.”

The head of the unit added that the Gauteng Provincial Forensic Audit Unit has been relocated from the Gauteng Provincial Treasury to the Office of the Premier.

“As the premier, you are responsible for communicating and taking responsibility for reports authorised by this section of your office. Therefore, you must also take responsibility for failing to implement forensic investigation recommendations,” said Nel.

Comment was requested from the Office of the Premier by 16:00.