Hands off smart meter investigation: Madonsela
Public Protector Thuli Madonsela has advised the government not to duplicate an investigation which has been ongoing since 2013.
Andrew Ngozo
Public Protector Thuli Madonsela has warned government against the duplication of investigation should it go ahead with the prepaid electricity smart meter probe that was ordered on the Gauteng province by Pravin Gordhan, minister of cooperative governance and traditional affairs (COGTA) this week.
Madonsela said her investigation into the Tshwane smart meter contract with PEU Capital Partners (Pty) Ltd had been ongoing since March 2013.
She said at the time of the first letter to the mayor of the Tshwane metro, Kgosientso Ramokgopa, the metro said the contract had not been awarded and that it had only entered into a memorandum of understanding with PEU Capital Partners.
“From then my office battled to get the necessary information to conclude the investigation, only to discover that while failing to provide information on the matter and being aware there was an alleged irregularity, the metro proceeded to award the contract to PEU Capital Partners,” said Madonsela.
The public protector has recently received another complaint relating to the alleged cancellation of the smart meter contract.
Madonsela stressed that more than two years into the probe, most of the information sought from the metro was still outstanding.
“As a result, a subpoena will be issued for a confidential hearing to be held at the national office of the public protector, with a view to preparing a report within 30 days thereafter,” she said.
The public protector met with the complainants in the matter on 4 November and advised them about the problems the institution was facing investigating the matter.
Madonsela said she would be writing to Ramokgopa, requesting the new contract which has been advertised as a tender, should not be awarded before her office’s investigation was concluded and its outcome communicated to the metro, COGTA and the Treasury.
Madonsela appealed to Gordhan not to duplicate the process but to support the finalisation of the investigation and then decide what to do with the outcome instead.
Also read:
PEU meter scandal to be investigated
DA seeks urgent forensic investigation over PEU
Smart meters not all that smart
Tshwane metro slams allegations of financial mismanagement in smart meter plan
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