Officials’ hearings over irregularities to start soon

POLOKWANE – The disciplinary hearings of nine senior and general managers of the department of cooperative governance, human settlements and traditional affairs (Coghsta), will commence this week.

These officials will be investigated to determine their part in the irregular awarding of R900 million low-cost housing tenders in December 2012.

A forensic investigation revealed that the tenders were awarded irregularly and the national government held back a grant of R1,3 billion to the province. The grant was later re-instituted in December, subject to revised business plans.

The end the department was only granted only R1,25 billion in the end.

Contracts were recently renewed and the department would try to spend the budget in the remaining period until the end of the financial year, on March 31, according to the acting head of the department (HOD), Nape Nchabeleng.

Nchabeleng said all plans were in place and the main challenge was the timely implementation of this plan.

” We had to cancel all contracts, restarted the procurement process and reconstituted the bid committees with the national treasury.

“We delivered the business plan in October 2013 and only heard we received the money in December.

“We have not even received a formal letter to that effect yet.

“Contractors were on site in the second week of January,” Nchabeleng said.

He said plans were underway to ensure that work continued smoothly in the new financial year, starting in April.