Latest news with #R22.7m
TimesLIVE
15 hours ago
- Business
- TimesLIVE
'Millions wasted': Lesseyton sports field not built to spec, says public protector
There were procurement irregularities in the awarding of a R22.7m tender to Thalami Civils JV for the construction of the Lesseyton sports field by the Enoch Mgijima local municipality. Public protector Kholeka Gcaleka released the report on the findings of the investigation into allegations of improper conduct and maladministration by functionaries of the municipality relating to the construction of Lesseyton sports field in 2018. The Lesseyton sports field gained national notoriety in October 2021 after its unveiling was posted on social media and users immediately began questioning whether its R15m price tag constituted value for money. According to the specification dated March 9 2018, the construction was supposed to include the construction of a grassed athletic track, soccer/rugby field, netball, tennis and volleyball courts and grandstands. However, these facilities have not been constructed. Investigations found that the soccer/rugby field was not constructed according to the specifications and the electricity has not been connected. In the investigation, Gcaleka observed that the ward councillor signed the completion certificates and accepted the construction of the sports field as satisfactory, despite the municipality not receiving any value for money. According to the findings, the total amount of the awarded bid exceeded the budgeted amount of R18.7m that was approved by the department of co-operative governance and traditional affairs (Cogta) in the 2017/18 financial year. The awarded tender exceeded the budgeted amount by more than R4.7m without evidence that the municipality sought additional funding or approval from the municipal council, as required under the Municipal Finance Management Act. Further, the report found that the tender advertisement had two different closing dates and was not placed on three different publicly accessible platforms as required by the municipal supply chain management policy. The advertisement period for the tender was shortened from 30 days to 14 days, and the reason provided was that the construction of the sports field was an emergency. Gcaleka found that the municipality's definition of emergency in this regard was not in line with the definition in terms of the municipal supply chain management policy. The evidence suggests that two bid evaluation processes took place with the first process resulting in the first bidder being the preferred bidder, whereas the second process used a different formula provided by the bid adjudication committee and culminated in Thalami Civils, which was the fourth-highest scoring bidder, winning the tender. She also found that the allegations of irregularities in the management of the contract and a lack of proper oversight on the construction project by the local and provincial governments, resulting in no value for money paid, were substantiated. The public protector observed that the ward councillor signed the completion certificates and accepted the construction of the sports field as satisfactory when the municipality did not get any value for money as evident in this investigation. Gcaleka recommended that the municipal manager of the municipality ensure the reconstruction of the Lesseyton Sports Field in accordance with the bid specifications dated March 9 2018.
IOL News
08-06-2025
- IOL News
Claims that top crime boss has vanished amidst property scandal probe
Police Ministry says it is not aware of the disappearance of Major-General Philani Lushaba, the Chief Financial Officer of Crime Intelligence unit, who allegedly vanished amid R45 million property scandal. Image: Supplied The SAPS and Police Ministry say they are not aware of the disappearance of Major-General Philani Lushaba, the chief financial officer of the SAPS Crime Intelligence unit, who allegedly vanished as the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) was preparing to question him about his involvement in financial misconduct linked to over a multi-million Rand property scandal. The unit allegedly spent more than R45 million on irregular property purchases without proper approvals, triggering an investigation by the Inspector-General of Intelligence (IGI). The DA said Lushaba failed to report for duty on Friday and was unreachable. The party said Lushaba's disappearance followed closely on the conclusion of an investigation by IGI into unlawful property acquisitions by the unit. However, both the Police Ministry's spokesperson Kamogelo Mogotsi, and SAPS spokesperson Athlenda Mathe, said they are not aware of Lushaba's disappearance. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Independent Media also reached out to Lushaba and he answered his phone but declined to comment. 'I think you should know where to direct inquiries in the SAPS,' he said. NPA spokesperson, Mthunzi Mhaga, did not respond to a request for comment. On Sunday, DA member of Parliament, Dianne Kohler Barnard, said the party had asked about Lushaba's whereabouts and had heard nothing in response. At the centre of the scandal are two expensive acquisitions - a R22.7m Pretoria boutique hotel and a R22.8m Durban commercial property, allegedly approved by Lushaba and Crime Intelligence head Maj-Gen Dumisani Khumalo without Treasury or Public Works oversight. 'The scale of spending, the lack of transparency, and the irregular process raise serious questions about possible corruption and abuse of public funds,' said Barnard. Barnard said that the DA has submitted urgent parliamentary questions to the Minister of Police to determine the contents of the IGI's report and to establish whether further misconduct has been uncovered. Barnard said the party would also write to the chairperson of the Joint Standing Committee on Intelligence to demand that the SAPS leadership, including Crime Intelligence's top officials, be summoned to account before Parliament. 'The IGI's report must now serve as a turning point. Without urgent action to remove corrupt elements from senior management, there can be no hope of restoring credibility to SAPS' intelligence function - or protecting South Africans from organised crime and criminal capture, said Barnard, adding that law enforcement must treat this matter with the urgency it deserves. Lushaba is not new to controversy. He lost his state firearm and laptop after he was allegedly robbed by a sex worker in 2022. Barnard said the SAPS Crime Intelligence division has a long, troubling record of corruption. 'For too long, this vital unit has been plagued by looting, political interference, and lawlessness." The division has also suffered from repeated leadership instability, internal leaks and operation failures. This was highlighted in a parliamentary committee in March 2025, where issues of persistent political interference and resource mismanagement were raised as weakening the division's ability to combat crime.
