DA calls out RAL on R1.6b ‘irregular spend’
A war of words erupted between the Roads Agency Limpopo (RAL) and the Democratic Alliance after the agency incurred irregular expenditure of R1,6 billion this financial year.
LIMPOPO – The expenditure has opened a can of worms for the agency with the DA accusing the management of ostensibly running RAL like their own spaza shop.
DA Provincial Leader and Member of Limpopo Legislature, Jacques Smalle, said the outcome of the audit report reflected a glum picture of how the Supply Chain Management processes were contravened in the awarding of government tenders.
Smalle accused the agency’s Chief Executive Officer, Maselaganye Matji, of influencing the awarding of contracts to his friends, family, relatives and political juntas.
“We expected Matji to advertise tenders before awarding them to his cronies. We also expected a person of his stature and intellect to declare his interest before awarding the tenders,” said Smalle.
“We have learnt with dismay that Matji, who is entrusted with an annual budget of nearly
R1 billion, has awarded a tender worth R6 million to his wife,” Smalle told CV last week.
“We will fight corruption in Limpopo with whatever we have and expose those who still harbour an ancient mentality that government resources belong to them, their families and their camarilla,” he said.
The DA also requested the office of the Auditor-General (AG), Kimi Makwetu, to conduct a forensic audit into the R1,6 billion worth of irregular expenditure incurred between 2007 and 2017 by RAL.
“Our request is in line with Section 29, read along with Section 5(1) (d) and Section 4 (1), of the Public Audit Act that authorises the AG to carry out an appropriate investigation on any institution considered to be in the public interest upon the receipt of a complaint.
Last week Matji’s wife, Mpho, who is a shareholder and Group Executive Director of Crawford Consulting, refuted the allegations as baseless and void of the truth. “Yes, I have been awarded a contract by the agency and I do not see anything wrong with doing business with the agency because I registered my company with RAL in July 2014.
“At that time, Matji was not even my boyfriend and I don’t understand the fuss,” she said.
She added that her company was appointed by RAL in January 2015, she added she was not married to Matji at the time of the appointment.
“I am now baffled why my husband is accused of corruption because all was above board when my company was appointed,” she said.
This week Matji said the allegations by the DA were concocted by those with malicious intentions to dent his image, that of his family and the good work he has done since joining the agency.
“When I took over in March 2015, the audit opinions for the agency were either disclaimer or adverse opinions. I came in and improved the audits after introducing pertinent internal controls and effective governance which resulted in exuberant dividends,” he said.
“We run proper internal investigations which resulted in the acting general manager for engineering, head of supply chain management, chief finance officer and former executive manager for engineering being charged, found guilty and dismissed from the agency for fraud involving millions.
“My hands are clean and so are those of my wife.
“Instead of attitude, I should be getting gratitude because those with blood on their hands have now realised that RAL is no longer a breeding ground for corruption and will not tempt me,” said Matji.
