Senior officials suspended over road works corruption

Contractors paid for work not done ED RICHARDSON CHARGES OF corruption are being drawn up against a number of officials in the former Mpumalanga Department of Public Works, Roads and Transport. According to a joint statement by the MEC for Public Works, Candith Mashego-Dlamini and the MEC for Roads and Transport Fish Mahlalela, the charges follow a forensic audit. Charges against 10 officials are currently being drafted. Five of them are senior officials and two have already been suspended. The audit found that contractors had been paid for work which had not been completed. This includes work on the P333/4 between Sabie and Hazyview, the P51/2 between Middelburg and Stoffberg, and the P169/1 between Stoffberg and Steelpoort. Some R4, 9 million was paid for a road project valued at R5, 8 million when about 30% of the road was completed. Steps being taken by the departments include disciplinary action against officials implicated in any wrongdoing by the report; further investigation and litigation against suppliers and contractors that could be involved in financial recovery of monies where possible, as has already been done in the instance of one of the roads; and asking contractors to re-do substandard work or be removed from the contractors database.